Finding Our Way Back
by livherself
Summary: Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert met in college, falling madly love with one another. As time passes though, problems occur, testing their relationship. After six years, and one baby later, Elena and Damon are no longer together. But can they find their way back? A compelling story filled with love, passion, angst, and heartbreak.
1. There Always Needs to be A Beginning

_I tried to stop loving you_

_so I built walls around my heart_

_and found other names_

_to whisper in the night_

_but you craved yourself_

_in my veins_

_even if you meant to or not_

_and sometimes I wonder_

_if you remember the way_

_we looked at each other _

_or maybe you forgot. _

_-c.p._

"Come on honey, get in the car," Elena calls out to her four year old daughter, begging her to get into the car. "Baby please," Elena pleads, desperately needing her daughter to enter the car. Time is ticking away, precious time that requires Elena's presence at work.

"No, I want daddy to take me!" Isabella stomps her foot against the driveway, insisting on her father driving her.

"Excuse me?" Elena's eyes widen, her hand falling to her hip as she glares at her stubborn daughter. "Daddy isn't here, you will see him tonight. Now get your sassy little butt into this car before I make you."

"Mommy, I don't wanna go." Isabella cries, her soft whimpers piercing Elena's heart as she watches her daughter. How easy it is to give in, Elena thought.

"Baby, I know but it's preschool. Don't you like school?" Elena questions calmly as she scoops her tiny daughter into her arms, brushing her fingers through her soft brown hair as she watches Isabella's pouty face.

"No, I don't like it, mommy." Isabella pouts, her bottom lip pushed out as she grabs onto Elena's shoulder, the young girl pleading to stay home.

"School is fun, and guess what?" Elena perks up, her voice light and fun as she tries to lift her daughter's sorrowful mood.

"What?" The young girl questions, rubbing her eyes as she watches her now an upbeat mother.

"Daddy is going to pick you up, okay? How does that sound?" Elena perks up, her eyes bright with excitement as Isabella's eyes widen. "And then maybe he will take you to ice cream." Elena winks.

"Ice cream?"

"Oh yeah with lots of sprinkles and whip cream, whatever you want." Elena nods as she buckles the young girl into her car seat.

"Mommy, will you come too?" Isabella smiles, her smile so bright and hopeful that it makes Elena's heart physically clench for a moment. Two years ago, yes, they would have gone together. Two years ago they did everything together, and now, now all of it was just a dream, a whole other lifetime.

"No, but I'm sure daddy and you will have lots and lots of fun together." Elena nods, kissing the young girls forehead before closing the car door. Exhaling once, Elena then opens her door. She enters the Prius as the engine rumbles, the car moving as they make their way onto the street.

"Mommy look!" Isabella calls out as she points at the window, a blue Chevy Camaro convertible rolling by. "That looks like the one dada has!" The young girl smiles, pressing her small hands to the window as she watches the familiar car pass.

"Yeah, it does look like his." Elena nods as she glances at the familiar car. How much time she spent in that car once upon a time. The days they spent laughing, her feet lying upon the dashboard, his hand resting on her thigh while the other hung loosely on the steering wheel. Summer nights were filled with long drives and starry nights, naked bodies colliding against the black interior of that blue Camaro.

Snapping out of her own thoughts, Elena then turns into her daughter's school as they circle into the lot. "Okay hun, you all good?" Elena questions, her daughter unbuckling herself as she grabs at the pink backpack sitting next to her.

"Yeah."

"You want me to walk you in?" Elena questions, and before her daughter can even respond Elena unbuckles her seat belt as well. Getting out of the car, Elena then grabs her daughters hand as they walk up to the school's entrance doors. "Okay, daddy will be here after school okay? And I will see you in two nights." Elena holds up her fingers, showing the number two as she bends down to meet Isabella's short stance.

"Alright, I love you." Isabella hugs Elena, tightly wrapping her small arms around her mother's neck. Elena immediately falls into Isabella as she holds her close, never wanting to let go. Every year she gets taller and Elena feels her slipping away. Isabella is her world, she always has been from the day that stick turned positive. Elena had promised to put her above anything and anybody, and that is a promise she intends to keep.

"I love you baby girl. Have a good day." Elena kisses Isabella's cheek before letting her go. Isabella's brown silky hair brushes past Elena's fingers as they look at one another for a moment, Elena astounded by the color of her daughter's eyes. A light crystal blue reflects back at Elena as she is reminded of him, of everything they built, of everything they lost, of everything they once were but no longer are.

"Bye, mom." Isabella waves before running off with another classmate, completely forgetting about her mother.

"Bye," Elena whispers to nobody as she smiles, watching her daughter enter those school doors as she stands back up. Fixing her skirt, Elena then walks back to the car when her cell phone suddenly vibrates.

_Damon: Am I picking her up?_

Elena glances at the text before her fingers begin to respond unconscionably.

_Elena: Yes, please, and ice cream is included. _

_Damon: Sounds like a plan. _

Elena then tucks her phone away into her pocket, unlocking her car as she rests in it for a moment. Lying back against the seat, Elena breathes out deeply, trying to assuage her stress level. Work had been kicking her ass lately, the woman proving just how difficult it is to be a mother and a successful woman at the same time. Three years ago, Elena's book had gone viral, everyone gushing over the new romance book. Elena is a gifted writer, she always has been ever since high school. And when she met Damon, suddenly she understood everything. Complicated love stories seemed to make sense, and even if she couldn't find her happy ending, that didn't mean she couldn't write them. So after everything, Elena turned to writing, creating her own fictional world filled with passion, lust, angst and above all a happy fucking ending. She hadn't expected it but soon her book reached the shelves, and eventually the New York Times bestsellers list. It was a shock, some even recognized her in public. At only twenty four, Elena had built a life for herself, for her daughter.

Pressing the gas, Elena then pulls out of the school parking lot as she begins her drive to her office. Usually, Elena worked from home, but she had a schedule, she had meetings, she had signings. Elena Gilbert is a busy woman, a thousand events crowding her schedule. People depended on her, and sometimes she found herself focusing more on those people than the people who actually cared for her. That is one reason why her life turned upside down, sometimes success comes with a burden of hardships as well as fortune. Elena knows that better than most.

Driving through the town of Mystic Falls, Elena then catches eye of the high school. The high school that taught her almost nothing, it was college that really did the trick.

_Six years ago _

_"Elena if you don't get through the damn door right now I am going to kill you!" Caroline shrieks, her voice filled with agitation. Caroline Forbes doesn't do impatient, she gets what she wants when she wants it and doesn't apologize for it. Caroline has her life mapped out to perfection, everything perfectly in line. Caroline isn't a profound believer in mistakes, and so she never made them. The blonde haired blue eyed girl knows what she wants, the complete opposite of the disheveled brunette fixing her hair in the bathroom. _

_"I know, I know." Elena nods, closing her jean shorts button before stepping out of the bathroom._

_When Elena returns to the dorm, Caroline glances the brunette up and down, her mouth open. "Who needs a boyfriend when I have the hottest best friend ever!" Caroline shrieks, Elena spinning around, theatrically showing off her skimpy outfit. _

_"Well we certainly don't need boyfriends." Elena giggles, grabbing her phone as her and Caroline make their way out of the stuffy dorm room and down the street towards the frat house. A college party. Elena's first college party and her nerves are extremely high, she heard stories. Young girls drugged and raped, assholes slipping ecstasy into naive, innocent girl's cups. But Elena isn't one of those girls, she is sure of it. Elena is smart, she knows how to handle herself and as for Caroline, let's just say Elena is glad that her bombshell of a friend has her to guide her. But part of Elena envied Caroline, her enthusiastic outlook on life that never seemed to fade. Caroline shrieked with happiness, her blonde curls bouncing around as they walk down the street shoulder to shoulder. _

_"Oh my god, this is amazing! Is this not amazing? I mean we are in college Elena Gilbert! Real college! Like in the movies when they go and make memories that shapeshift their life. That's gonna be us, we are going to shapeshift our lives here!" Caroline exclaims, drastic optimism pouring out of her bubbly voice._

_Elena smiles, nodding as they walk, her brunette hair swaying in the wind as she watches all of the young students. "I can't believe we actually made it, were in college Care!" Elena shrieks, her smile now just as wide as the blondes._

_"I know! Now let's go get drunk!" Caroline shakes her butt, guys whistling in response to the beautiful blonde. Caroline then winks at them as Elena grabs the blonde's arm, steering her away from the alpha males and towards the frat house. Girls dressed in skimpy crop tops and denim shorts file into the house one by one, horny guys glancing every girl up and down as they make their way in and out. But before the guys can speak to either of the two girls, Elena and Caroline step through the doors, crowds of people moving throughout the house. Flashing blue and red party lights stream through the living room as college students dance and drink freely, completely oblivious to every other thing occurring around them. _

_"Let's get a drink," Elena whispers to Caroline, the loud music echoing through the home as Caroline nods. People crowd the whole place, some talking, some kissing, some smoking, some drinking. _

_"Tyler!" Caroline yells, the dark haired guy turning around as the blonde runs up to the familiar boy. _

_"Hey you two," Tyler hugs both girls one by one, feeling at both of their bodies a little too flirtatiously. Tyler attended Mystic Falls High with the two girls. Him and Caroline even dated at some point, but Elena could never get over his cocky, jock attitude. _

_"Drinks?" Caroline questions, her lips curling up into a sexy smirk as Tyler nods, laughing as he picks up two red cups. "Here you ladies go, enjoy." Tyler winks in the direction of Elena, glancing the sexy brunette up and down before making his way over towards his fraternity brothers._

_"I can't believe you dated that." Elena rolls her eyes, looking at the arrogant guy as he strolls around, acting as if he owns the place. _

_"Hey! Don't judge, he's good in bed." Caroline smirks, glancing over to view Elena's reaction as a giggle escapes her lips._

_"Ew! No!" Elena laughs, her hearty giggle filling the room as Caroline and she indulges in one another's company. _

_"Wait," Caroline then swings her arm around, stopping Elena from moving as Elena suddenly halts, glancing at Caroline in confusion._

_"What? Who are we looking at?" Elena questions as she sips on the drink, not caring what the hell it is anymore. _

_"Front door, black hair, gorgeous blue eyes, tall, body for days." Caroline lists adjectives describing the gorgeous guy that just walked in as Elena's eyes shift over towards the front door. _

_"Leather jacket?" Elena questions as she views the guy, his presence making itself known as he winks at the other ladies surrounding the crowded home._

_"Yep,"_

_"Who is he?" Elena questions, her eyes still casually focusing on the dark-haired guy every now and then._

_"Damon fucking Salvatore." Caroline shakes her head, drool almost exiting the girl's mouth as she admires the more than attractive man. Before Elena can respond though, he makes his way towards the kitchen as both of the girls snap their attention away from the handsome stranger. "Did he see me looking?" Caroline questions, soft embarrassment running through her voice as her eyes widen._

_"No," Elena shakes her head, staring at the blonde, trying desperately not to be sucked into his blue eyes._

_"I need more than this drink." Caroline downs the red cup in one fell swoop, grabbing at another drink as Elena watches her friend with a smile. _

_"Caroline, take it easy." Elena giggles, Caroline not caring as she downs the second drink. _

_"Woohoo!" The blonde shrieks, shaking her head back and forth as her eyes squint together slightly. "Elena drink," Caroline orders the brunette as Elena smiles at her enthusiastic friend. Caroline's eyes then drift over to her current crush as she glances over at the counter. Damon stands there, chatting with another guy as Caroline ogles him. "Should I go up to him?" _

_"What? Does he even know you?" Elena questions, her eyes widening at the suggestion._

_"No, but I won't know until I try." Caroline giggles drunkenly, emptying her drink into her body before prancing over towards the handsome stranger. _

_"Caroline!" Elena seethes, her eyes widening in embarrassment as her friend strolls up to the guy seductively. _

_"Hi, you know me and my friend saw you and I thought I'd come to introduce myself." Caroline giggles, approaching the dark haired guy as he glances the loopy girl up and down. "I'm Caroline." Caroline extends her hand as Elena watches her, completely mortified by her best friend's behavior._

_"Damon," Damon extends his hand, smirking wildly as he shakes the blondes smaller hand. Smiling, Caroline ogles the guy, obvious attraction evident in the girls blue eyes. Damon's eyes don't focus on Caroline though, instead, they drift off to Elena, standing there behind her friend completely mortified. "And this is?" Damon points to Elena, Caroline spinning around drunkenly as she grabs the girl's shoulder._

_"Oh, yeah, this is Elena." Caroline turns the embarrassed girl as Elena waves, her eyes not focusing on the extremely attractive guy as he smiles, a smile that sends butterflies into her stomach. _

_"Hello Elena," Damon smirks, her name rolling off of his tongue seductively as he extends his hand._

_Elena only smiles though as she shakes the boys hand, her eyes finally meeting his as the striking blue color penetrates through her heart. _

_"So are you two freshman?" Damon questions, glancing between the two girls. _

_"Yes the first year, drama major." Caroline giggles, her curls bouncing as she smiles a seductive smile. Her flirty efforts don't work on him though as he nods, looking at the silent brunette once again. Damon can sense her nervousness, her hands running up her tanned arms, her eyes drifting to everything except him. _

_"And what about you?" Damon questions, his attention focusing on Elena as her head snaps back over towards the two people._

_"Oh, umm, English," Elena answers, her smile small and yet stunning as Damon takes the more than beautiful girl in. _

_"Oh, different." Damon shrugs, not used to English majors crowding him. Here at Whitmore, most girls either majored in Communications, cosmetology, or drama. Don't ask him why he has no idea. But this girl, she is different. She keeps her presence quiet, she doesn't yell and shout for attention, instead, she hides from it. She is one of the most beautiful girls he has ever laid eyes on, and yet she backs away from attention. _

_"What about you?" Caroline questions, ogling the guy once again. _

_"Business," Damon answers, his eyes now drifting to the bubbly blonde. Friends? How different two friends are, Damon thought. _

_Caroline nods as Elena just stands there, almost as if she is waiting to leave._

_"And are you a part of a frat?" _

_"No, just a fan of the parties." Damon chuckles, grabbing a red cup as another guy prances up to him, slapping their hands together in the way that guys do. "Hey man." Damon acknowledges his friend as he looks to the girls once more. "It was nice to meet you two, see you around." Damon nods before walking away, his eyes still trained on the brunette as his friends guide him out of the room. _

_Caroline then turns, rambling about the guy to Elena but the brunette's eyes are solely focused on Damon's as he walks away. His blue eyes pierce into her brown ones as he gazes at her, his eyes full of an unfamiliar emotion. His gaze makes Elena uncomfortable and yet excited as she looks away, his eyes causing shivers to awaken upon her nervous skin. Who the hell is Damon Salvatore? And why is he so interested in her and not her beautiful, seductive, bubbly, attention-hungry best friend? _

Present day

Elena pulls into her driveway, the white, elegant home standing tall as she exits her Prius. Most young adults such as herself didn't have it all together at twenty-four, but Elena grew up faster than most. She experienced lost, love, grief, and heartbreak before she even met Damon.

_12 years ago_

_12 year old Elena Gilbert sits on her bed, staring out the window. Her cheeks are stained with tears, her hands clammy. Two weeks ago her life had flipped, everything changing drastically in a matter of seconds. Two weeks ago Elena's mother died, the woman being ripped out of her world suddenly, Elena not even getting a chance to say goodbye to her sweet mother. One minute she was here, and then the next her car was wrapped around a tree, her mother's body lying on the hood of the car. That day she came home from school expecting a hug and a kiss as usual, only to be confronted by cops and her broken father instead. Never had Elena seen her father cry until that day, never had she seen a man physically break the way he did. She was confused at first, but eventually Elena understood it, her mother died and she was never coming back. That news hit her like a truck, piercing her heart in an unexplainable way that she doesn't even understand herself. Elena's mother is gone, she will not return, perhaps in a dream, but she will never hug the woman, she will never breathe in her sweet scent, she will never come home to freshly baked cookies, she will never feel those soft kisses that her mother once placed on her cheeks. Elena doesn't have a mother, while other girls complain about their mothers being impertinent, Elena desperately wishes that she even had one. _

_"Elena lets go." Grayson cracks open the door, his eyes red and tired, as if he hadn't slept for days. Elena nods, words not forming in the young girl's mind as she follows her father. As they walk, Elena notices the flask sitting inside her father's pocket, his breath scorching with the scent of bourbon. _

_"Daddy are you okay?" Elena questions, tears rushing to the young girl's eyes as she stares at her sorrowful father._

_The middle-aged man doesn't answer for a moment before turning, kneeling down on the ground so that he can meet his daughters shorter stance. "Listen to me Lena." Grayson rests his hand on her shoulder, smoothing out her black dress as she gazes into her father's exhausted eyes. "Life is not going to be easy without your mother, I know that. And I know that over these past two weeks I haven't really been there for you, but just know that it'll get better, okay? We will all be okay, you hear me?" Grayson questions, tears immediately rising in both of the heartbroken people's eyes. _

_"I know. I love you, dad." Elena cries, hugging her father tightly as he rests his chin in the crook of her neck._

_"I love you more." _

_"I miss mom." Elena cries, her voice breaking as she clings to her father, not caring that he stinks of alcohol. _

_"Me too baby, me too." _

Present day

Elena rests her keys on the kitchen counter, opening the refrigerator as she pulls a bottle of water out. Chugging the water, Elena glances around the lifeless house, Isabella's barbies lying on the dining room table. When her book launched, Elena suddenly experienced great success, and with great success came great wealth. Both her_ and_ Damon are successful people, for years they were each other's inspiration, lifting the other up to pursue their biggest dreams. Damon awakened her in ways no one else did. He made her question everything, even herself.

_Six years ago_

_Elena scrambles through papers, searching for her essay as she grabs her bag. Sprinting out of the dorm room, Elena runs down the hall and out the door. The summer air brushes past her face as she inhales the soft wind for a moment. No matter how hard she tries, Elena still finds herself in situations that help others but drag her down emotionally. Ever since her mother passed Elena focused solely on others, putting everyone's needs before her own._

_Walking, Elena thinks of her father sitting alone at home with a bottle in his hand, of Caroline crying in the dorm room because Tyler ignored her. Why Caroline obsesses over that asshole wasn't something that Elena could understand. He doesn't love her, he used her, and that drives Elena crazy for she loves Caroline like a sister. _

_Elena thinks of her melancholy friend before she suddenly trips over her own two feet, fumbling as she drops a book to the ground. She sighs heavily as she drops down to pick up the singular book, thoughts churning in her stress-filled mind. _

_"You okay?" A familiar voice then appears behind Elena, her head snapping up to see Damon towering over her. His black hair is perfectly messy, a few pieces of dark hair drifting right above his stunning blue eyes. _

_"Yeah." Elena nods, picking up her book as she kneels to the ground. Her trembling body suddenly feels tight, her showing legs suddenly feel over exposed as he peers down at her. How does he do that? Elena thinks as she tries to collect her disheveled __self. _

_"Here," Damon extends his hand, helping the girl up as she slips her silky hand into his. Rising to her feet, Elena sighs before looking up to meet his taller stance, his blue eyes peering into hers. _

_"Thank you," Elena nods nervously, her breath unsteady as he glances at her._

_"You're welcome." Damon nods, his smirk electrifying as he views the gorgeous girl that blushes under his seductive gaze. _

_"Umm, I actually have to go. I'm late for class." Elena tells the guy, pointing towards the building behind her as she begins to back away._

_"Lucky you, I'm going there too," Damon smirks, strolling beside the suddenly nervous brunette. Amenably, Elena allows Damon to walk beside her as they make their way towards the old building. "So where's blondie?" _

_"Caroline?" Elena questions, looking up at him as they walk across campus. Damon nods as Elena chuckles, thinking of the nickname used for her friend. "Caroline is having a personal day," Elena informs him, not telling him the whole truth of her emotionally damaged friend. Damon then laughs at Elena's words before grabbing at her book, snatching it out of her hands as he reads the title. _

_"American Literature." Damon reads, pursing his lips together comically as he views the large textbook. His immaturity is clear, obviously, this guy is trouble. Elena can sense it by the way he talks, the way he winks, the way he walks, the way he flirts. Damon Salvatore isn't one to be denied by anyone, and by the way he looks at her and every other girl here, she can tell that he is indeed trouble. "You know, why English?" Damon questions before gasping dramatically, looking over at the smiling brunette."You don't want to be a teacher do you?" Damon mocks, Elena giggling softly as she snatches the book from his hands._

_"No," Elena rolls her eyes as he watches her. "I want to be a writer." She smiles brightly, his eyes focused on the stunning woman._

_"Really?" _

_"Yeah, ever since my mom bought me my first journal that has been my goal in life. And she always wanted me to pursue my dreams so I guess I kind of owe it to her, and myself." Elena tells the guy, her eyes still connected with his ocean blue ones. _

_"Sounds like you know what you want." _

_Caught off guard, Elena then thinks about his words, the words vibrating through her mind. Does she? Does she know what she wants? "And what do you want?" Elena then questions, turning as they stop at the entrance doors. _

_In response to her question, Damon's eyes narrow as he contemplates her words. What does he want? _

_"Umm-" Damon's eyes narrow as his mouth gapes open, an answer not forming in his thoughtless mind. "I don't know." _

_Looking at him intensely, Elena does not speak a single syllable as she just stares into his eyes, a connection vibrating through them as nerves develop in her flushed body. "I should go." Elena then speaks up, breaking their thoughtful gaze._

_"You should," Damon smirks as he opens the door, Elena stepping past him._

_"You coming?" Elena questions, pointing down the hall as he looks at her from outside. _

_"I lied, I don't actually have class. See you around Elena." Damon smirks, winking at the girl as he removes his hand from the door. Elena watches as he strolls back down the steps, that arrogant vibe exiting out of the attractive young guy. People walk past her as she breathes out exasperatedly, a small smile creeping its way onto her face as she chuckles. He is something, trouble, but something. And as she walks towards her class, she has a feeling that this isn't the last time she will see him. _

Present day

Elena picks up her daughter's toys, barbies filling the woman's arms as she makes her way towards Isabella's room. Elena places the dolls in the basket full of barbies as she takes a seat on the young girl's bed. Feeling at the white quilt, Elena reminisces in the old memories. Damon and Elena sitting on the floor, playing with their baby girl as she giggled. Every little move she made amazed Damon and Elena, Isabella was there princess, she still is. Elena remembers when this room wasn't a bedroom, but a nursery, late night feedings filling their nights. In six years, Elena's life changed infinitely. First there was college, and then love, and then babies, and then success, and then fights, and then heartbreak, until it all just faded away, leaving Elena sitting in her daughter's bedroom, looking around at all the faded memories, at all of the hopes and dreams that disappeared.

**Thanks for reading! Update soon, promise.**


	2. Chocolate Ice Cream

_Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart._

_-Haruki Murakami_

Damon pulls into the school lot, yawning tiredly after his long night at work. At twenty-six Damon had a lot to handle, being a single dad as well as a hard-working businessman. Glancing at his watch, Damon then waits for his daughter as he looks at the school doors, waiting for them to open. Five minutes pass by before tiny children are released and he hops out of the car, waiting for Isabella.

"Daddy!" Isabella shrieks, Damon lowering himself as she runs up to him. Taking the young girl into his arms, Damon kisses her cheek, Isabella shrieking in her father's arms.

"How was your day?" Damon pulls away, smiling as he views his daughter's perfect face. How much she looks like Elena, Damon thought as he embraced the toddler. Over the years, Isabella somehow became everything to him. From the day Elena brought her into his life, Damon knew that he could never leave. Despite what everyone said, Damon stayed, proving just how good of a father he could truly be. Both Elena and Isabella are people whom he loves endlessly, even if he and Elena aren't together anymore.

"Mommy said you'd get me ice cream." The little girl smiles, grabbing onto his shirt as he buckles her into her car seat.

"So I heard." Damon chuckles, smirking at Isabella as she raises her hands, allowing him to buckle her into the car seat. "We can go get ice cream." Damon nods as he walks around the car, all of the mothers looking at Damon as he enters the black Audi. Damon gets quite a few stares, always has. Damon is an extremely good looking, young, single father in which all of the single mother's fawn over. Not that he does anything about that, for he has been out of the dating world for some time now.

Pulling out of the lot, Damon turns the steering wheel as they drive down the street and towards the ice cream shop. Isabella dances in her car seat as the music plays through the car, Damon resting his hand on the steering wheel loosely as he stresses about work. Damon currently occupied the vice president position at his father's company, his father giving him the position even though they both know that he well deserves it. Damon has worked his ass off, mostly for the sake of his daughter. Ever since Elena got pregnant, Damon made sure that he would support them, that he would convince Elena that he was capable of being a good father. And despite people's beliefs, he succeeded. Damon would do and give up everything for Isabella no matter what struggles come his way.

They then pull into the ice cream shop, Damon carrying his daughter on his hip as they enter the store. Setting Isabella down, Damon allows the girl to browse her selections as he unlocks his phone, peering at the text messages inundating his phone.

_Stefan: Hey bro, I am coming home for the weekend! Thought I'd surprise you and my favorite niece._

Smiling, Damon begins to text his brother back as Isabella orders independently. A trait he likes to take credit for, Isabella knows what she wants and has no problem taking it. The cashier woman then smiles wondrously at the young girl, handing her a bowl full of ice cream. The woman is beaming as Isabella makes her and everyone else's day, what can he say? His daughter has the ability to captivate everyone's heart no matter how stoic the person.

_Damon: Yeah definitely! She misses you, how's med school going? _

Damon texts back his younger brother. Stefan currently resides in New York City, attending NYU School of Medicine. Damon's brother is beyond intelligent, both of the brothers smart in their own ways. Stefan branched off and pursued his dreams while Damon did the same, staying here to focus on the thing he loves most, Isabella. Damon's job supplied him with more than enough money, his luxurious car, and apartment proving that fact. Damon doesn't believe that money is happiness, but it sure does help in the grand scheme of things.

_Stefan: Great, and tell her Uncle Stef will be there soon. What toys does she like? I can't keep up. _

_Damon: Anything that is made out of plastic and that she can dress. _

Damon responds, chuckling to himself as he thinks of all the dolls inhabiting his apartment. People always say not to spoil your kids, but who the hell is he to deny her of what she wants? Isabella is spoiled, but she is not a brat. In fact, Isabella is one of the kindest human beings out there, but how could she not be when she has the kindest woman for a mother?

"Daddy look!" Isabella points to her cup full of chocolate ice cream. Smiling, Damon nods as they both take a seat at one of the tables, his daughter getting chocolate ice cream all over her face.

"Are you going to get any of that into your mouth?" Damon questions with a smile, watching as Isabella gets the ice cream on her chin.

Isabella laughs sweetly at her dad's joke as she raises the spoon up to his mouth, telling him to eat the spoonful of ice cream. Pleasing his daughter, Damon eats the ice cream, Isabella's expression serious as she waits for her dad's opinion.

"It's good." Damon nods as she smiles, returning the spoon back to the pink cup.

"Mama likes chocolate ice cream too."

Damon smiles at his daughter's words as he nods, reflecting on old memories, on a time when he first discovered the woman that would change his entire life. "I remember."

_Six years ago_

_College students at Whitmore all escape for the weekend, everyone inhabiting the watering hole located in the back of Tyler Lockwood's childhood home. The luxurious estate was only two hours from Whitmore, most kids coming down here for the day. Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie grew up here, however, Mystic Falls, the small town where all of their families still lived._

_"Bonnie stop! Elena is telling us stuff." Caroline giggles as the three girls drive together, Bonnie dancing wildly to the music while still sitting in the passenger seat. Bonnie is the third girl in the crew of best friends. Ever since they were younger, Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena did everything together. No matter what it was, the adventurous girls never left each other's side. Through good times and bad times, they never left. The three girls are bonded for life, matching bracelets tied around each girl's wrist to prove that statement. Elena's green, Bonnie's red, and Caroline's blue, all of the girls wearing the friendship bracelets every day since the moment they got them in seventh grade. _

_"Okay, so you're telling me that Damon Salvatore walked you to class and you didn't even ask for his number?" Caroline shrieks, her eyes wide as she looks back at Elena for a moment, a horrified expression cast upon her face. _

_"Caroline I am not you! I don't get obsessed with a guy the minute he takes a liking in me." Elena giggles, a laugh escaping Bonnie's lips while a glare falls onto Caroline's face. "Besides he does not actually like me Care. He is just another asshole who wants to get into my pants." Elena tells the girls as Caroline rolls her eyes._

_"So? What's __wrong with that?" Caroline questions, her blue eyes wide as both of the girls look at her. "Look, all I'm saying is that you could use a little fun Elena Gilbert, and twenty-year-old Damon Salvatore sounds like fun." _

_"Fun? Sorry Care, but casual sex with older boys isn't my ideal picture of fun." Elena chuckles, pulling the hair band off of her wrist as she pulls her long hair into a tight ponytail. _

_"How would you know?"_

_"Hello, Matt." Bonnie gesticulates with her hands, informing Caroline of Elena's ex-boyfriend whom she dated for two years in high school._

_"Ugh, please tell me you are not basing your sexual experiences on Matt freaking Donovan!" Caroline shrieks, dramatic disgust leaving her body as her eyes widen. _

_"Oh come on, Matt's sweet." Bonnie defends Elena's ex as Caroline looks at Elena._

_"Okay, yes, Matt was sweet and cuddly and __nurturing. But Damon, oh sweetie," Caroline's eyes widen as her smile grows, nasty thoughts creeping into the blonde's mind. "I have a feeling that boy can do a lot more to a woman than just fuck her in the missionary position for twenty minutes." _

_"Oh my god, Caroline! You cannot say things like that!" Elena puts her face in her hands, mortified by her friend's non-filtered personality. _

_"What?"_

_"Okay if you like him so much than you go out with him," Elena tells her friend, resting her back on the seat as the air conditioning blows across her sweaty chest. _

_"I tried but for some odd reason he didn't like me, and Damon does not go around walking random girls to class. So I assume that A, he either needs a tutor or something. Or B, he has a serious thing for you." Caroline exclaims, the frenetic blonde gesticulating wildly with one hand as she tries to convince the brunette sitting in the back seat. _

_"Okay one, just because he is hot does not mean that he is dumb. And two, he does not like me like that." Elena informs Caroline, persuading both her friend and herself that Damon only views her as a piece of ass._

_"Sure whatever you say." Caroline rolls her eyes as they pull into the Lockwood's yard, the lawn full of parked cars and young adults. Most students sport bikinis and swim shorts as the hot summer sun beats down on the people. Elena for one is perspiring rapidly as Caroline parks the car, all three girls exiting as they stretch, the car ride taking an effect on their sore bodies._

_"This is a disaster waiting to happen," Bonnie informs the two girls as Elena nods, agreeing with her friend as they look out at the swimming hole. Danger has to be imminent, booze plus a lake plus a bunch of college students is truly the recipe for disaster. But __regardless, the girls stay as Caroline pulls out the cooler. _

_"What's this?" Elena questions, watching the blonde as she holds the large, red cooler full of cold beer._

_"I brought it, Tyler said that he-"_

_"Wait," Bonnie holds up her hand, the dark complexed girl shutting Caroline up as both her and Elena's eyes widen. "You brought those for the guy that broke your freaking heart?"_

_"Okay, he didn't break my heart."_

_"Then why did Elena tell me that you spent a whole day last week crying and indulging in vanilla ice cream?" Bonnie questions, Caroline shooting Elena a malicious glare as Elena looks away, not being able to handle Caroline's evil glare._

_"Fine, we won't give them to him. We'll just drink them ourselves." Caroline snickers, setting the heavy cooler down as she rests her hands on her hips. "Damn that thing is heavy." The girl exasperates as Elena laughs._

_"You think?" Elena laughs as the three girls make their way down to the hole, all judgments disappearing as they view the people-filled lake. Pop music blares through the speakers as students crack open kegs, beer flying everywhere as students shed their clothes. One by one, Whitmore students swing from a rope before letting go and jumping into the blue water. _

_"Where should we go?" Bonnie questions as Caroline points over to the empty spot on the grass, the sun peering over as sweat drips down Elena's forehead. _

_"Why is it so hot?" Elena questions as she sits on the towel that she laid out, Bonnie sitting down beside the brunette as they look out at the party. _

_"I don't know but I have a feeling Caroline won't be coming home with us." Bonnie giggles, both of the girls watching the blonde as she flirts with two boys over by the keg stands._

_"I have a feeling you're right." Elena laughs when suddenly she sees him, Damon. He stands over by the kegs, chatting with another guy as her eyes drift over his body. The only thing covering him is a pair of black swim shorts as Elena's jaw almost falls open. She has seen abs but never has she seen abs quite like Damon's. His body is slowly defined, his torso long and toned as his v lines slowly lead into his pants. Drool almost escapes Elena's open mouth as she views those v lines, the v lines that dip low. He is perfectly defined, soft water droplets escaping down his gorgeous body as his black hair drips of water. How does one begin to look so incredibly sexy? Elena thinks to herself as her eyes span over his tall stance. Caroline is right, that boy most definitely can do wondrous things to a woman._

_"Elena, Elena, Elena!" Bonnie shakes the girl, breaking her out of her trance as Elena snaps awake, looking over at the brunette, dark complexed woman sitting beside her. "Are you okay?"_

_"Huh? Oh yeah." Elena nods, but her voice is still shaky as she tears her eyes away from the breathtakingly handsome man. _

_"I come bearing drinks." Caroline smiles, holding the cups up as she hands the smirking girls their drinks. _

_"Did you find your next hookup?" Bonnie questions Caroline as Elena stands, not being able to take the drastic heat any longer. Caroline begins rambling to Bonnie about the guys she just met as Elena takes her shorts off, her skimpy white bathing suit bottoms showing off her toned legs. Guys ogle the stunning brunette as she removes her top, the tank sticking to her perspiring body slightly as she removes the thin material from her body. The white triangle bathing suit top covers Elena's boobs but still shows off her defined cleavage, her wondrous body being shown off to the world as she sports the bikini. _

_A whistling noise then goes off as Elena looks behind her, Tyler whistling like the dick he is as all of the guys ogle the half-naked brunette. One of those guys being Damon. His eyes are focused on Elena intensely as her brown orbs connect with his. His gaze sends a wave of nervousness over her exposed body as his eyes fixate on her, his lips staying pursed into a straight line, no emotion evident on his stoic face. Elena can't seem to look away though as his eyes stay trained on her body, admiring the gorgeous girl. _

_Pulling her attention away, Elena then looks over at her cell phone, the device ringing to life. Answering the call, Elena swipes right as she brings the device to her ear. "Dad?"_

_"Hey baby, where are you?" _

_"Oh umm, I'm at this thing with Bonnie and Care, one minute." Elena grabs her top, her eyes suddenly connecting with Damon's as she frantically escapes the swimming hole, making her way towards the car filled lawn. "Are you okay Dad?" Elena questions breathlessly._

_"Oh, I'm fine I was just checking in. Are you coming home tonight?" _

_"I'm not sure. It depends on how long we stay out." Elena answers her father, holding the phone up to her ear as she looks back at the raging party. _

_"Oh okay, call me back later."_

_"Wait, dad! You sure you're okay?" Elena questions worriedly. Ever since her mother died, Elena's father has had an issue with alcohol. The pain of losing her mother cut so deep that he turned to the amber liquid in hopes of forgetting, in hopes of not feeling so melancholy all of the time. Over the years, Grayson has gotten better but still, Elena worries about her father. He is all she has left. After her mother passed, it was solely Elena and her father, and now that Elena is gone he is all alone. Elena wants her dad to date. It has been six years, but every time she brought it up she received the same answer. Grayson insists that Miranda was his forever, someone who could never be replaced no matter who walked into his life. Elena's father taught her many things, including that once you find your person, they never stop being your person._

_"Honey, I have told you this a million times before, I'm fine." _

_"Okay," Elena sighs, nodding as she hears her father's voice. "Bye dad, I love you," Elena tells him before hanging up, tugging a white tank top over her body in order to cover her shirtless self. Sighing once, Elena then looks up at the sky, the sun slowly setting as the night gets closer. The humid air still passes by as sweat perspires down her back, the crowd yelling behind her. Making her way towards the swimming hole, Elena then walks back over to her friends, refusing to look over at Damon._

_"Hey, are you okay?" Bonnie questions as Elena runs back up to her friends._

_"Yeah, I was just talking to my dad," Elena answers as Bonnie nods, tugging off her clothes as both of the girls walk over towards the keg. One of the guys standing there just so happens to be Damon as Elena walks up, her brown hair flowing over her shown cleavage. _

_"Alright, I'm going swimming. Who's with me?" Tyler smirks, Caroline rolling her eyes as she stands beside her two girlfriends. "Elena?" Tyler smirks, winking wickedly at the stunned brunette as Caroline eyes the two of them. The look in her blue eyes is heartbreaking as Tyler struts away, not caring for the blonde whatsoever. _

_"You fucking asshole!" Elena then turns, staring at Tyler as everyone around gasps, not used to the innocent brunette swearing. Damon is standing behind the keg, his eyes wide as he watches Tyler turn in response. Everyone looking at the tumultuous sight. _

_"Excuse me?" Tyler looks back, Caroline's hand on Elena's arm as they all look at the ass head of a boy. _

_"She said you're a fucking asshole." Caroline smiles, looking over at her best friend as Elena smiles too, both of the girls looking at Tyler like the small human being he is. _

_"You guys can fucking leave then." Tyler shrugs, glancing between the two girls as he rolls his eyes. Disappointment, that is all Elena feels as he walks away. How can someone care so little for a girl who would do anything for him? Elena thought as she looks at her friend. _

_"Care, are you okay?"_

_"Am I okay? I am great." Caroline smiles as Elena and Bonnie comfort their friend, all of them smiling at each other. "But can we get out of here? Everyone is looking at me and I feel like I might start crying soon." Caroline laughs depressingly as Elena looks around, her eyes meeting Damon's for a moment._

_"Yeah, let's go." Elena giggles too, smiling at Damon kindly as they pass by, not even getting to acknowledge one another as the three girls walk away. _

_Loading up the car, the three girls pack up their things. They hadn't planned on leaving so soon, but now that Elena lashed out, it would be extremely awkward if they stayed. But despite the outcome, Elena is proud that she stood up to Tyler. For her whole life, Elena watched that guy consistently break her best friend's heart. And as she saw him walk away arrogantly, something washed over her and she couldn't help herself. Tyler is a dick, and Elena doesn't care if she has to be the one to finally say it. _

_"Thank you, Lena, for you know." Caroline points back to the swimming pool, locking her eyes with her best friends warmly. _

_"I love you Care," Elena tells her friend as she holds her, hugging her friend as Elena rests her cheek on the blonde's shoulder. _

_"I love you too," Caroline answers as they all open the doors, Elena getting into the car when Bonnie suddenly grabs the brunette's arms, stopping her from sitting down. Elena looks at her friend, a confused expression cast upon her face as Bonnie points to something behind her. Turning, Elena then catches a view of Damon. He is walking up to Caroline's car, his eyes solely focused on the brunette. Elena's smile is uncontrollable as he waves, nodding his head for her to come over to him. _

_"I'll be right back," Elena tells her friends as she runs over to the handsome guy. Meeting his stance, Elena stops right in front of him as he looks down at her perfect self. "Hey," Elena smiles, locking her brown eyes with his blue ones. _

_"Hey back," Damon smiles, a wide smile that almost makes Elena laugh. He isn't just sexy, he is absolutely adorable, Elena thought. "Are you leaving?" _

_Elena sighs, shrugging as she looks back at the car. "Well, I don't think my presence is welcomed here anymore." Elena giggles, her voice light and gentle as Damon watches her soft lips. _

_"Yeah, that was quite ballsy of you," Damon smirks, watching the nervous girl as she nods._

_"Well, Tyler deserves it. I've known him for a while, he had it coming." Elena shrugs, excusing her earlier behavior as he watches her, an uncontrollable yet small smile plastered across his face. _

_"I'm sure he did." Damon nods as he looks back at the party. "Do you want to go do something?" Damon suddenly questions, his usually confident voice now full of anxiety as he waits for an answer. _

_"Now?"_

_"Yeah, right now." Damon nods, gazing into the stunning girl's brown eyes as she grins, tucking her hair behind her ear._

_"Okay." Elena simply agrees, listening solely to her heart and nothing else. Elena doesn't do this, she always thought carefully about every choice she made but there is something about Damon, something that she can't escape from. So with that, Elena looks back at the car. "Give me a minute." Elena smiles, prancing over towards the door as she grabs her phone, slipping it into her pocket. "I'll see you guys later." Elena peeks her head through the window, an uncontrollable smile evident on the excited girl's face._

_"Oh my god, Elena Gilbert!" Caroline's eyes widen, the girl laughing wickedly as she claps. "Have fun, and be safe!" _

_"Yeah, yeah." Elena rolls her eyes as the girls clap, enthusiastically applauding their friend for actually taking a chance. Elena then shakes her head at her friends before prancing over towards Damon as he waits for the girl. _

_"You ready?" Damon questions as he smirks at the girl, her eyes full of nervousness and excitement at the same time._

_"Yeah." Elena nods as they walk over towards his car. "This is your car?" Elena gasps, a laugh escaping her lips as her eyes widen in astonishment. The blue Chevy Camaro convertible is breathtaking as Elena shakes her head, looking up to see him smirking as usual. "Chicks must just fall all over you." Elena shakes her head, not being able to hold in her words as she views the car and his sexy stance. _

_"Just the car," Damon smirks, opening the door for Elena as she slides in, her fingers running over the black interior of the old car. _

_"I'm sure." Elena mocks as she rolls her eyes. He is lying. From the moment she saw him, Elena knew that Damon Salvatore is no innocent boy. He can pretend all he wants, but she knows the truth. _

_"Where to?" Damon then questions, ignoring the girl's judgmental mockery as he starts the engine, looking over at the girl._

_"Do you like ice cream?" Elena smirks, her eyes falling to his as she watches him. A soft smile then creeps onto Damon's face as he nods, driving out of the estate and across town to get the girl chocolate freaking ice cream. _

Present day

Damon watches as his daughter eats the ice cream, munching on the treat messily as she indulges in the dessert. Just like her mother, Damon thought to himself. He remembers that night. The night he actually grew the balls to walk up to her. Never in his life had he been nervous talking to a girl, until Elena. Seeing her in that bikini made him go crazy, he wanted her then and a sad part of him still misses her now. But no matter what changed, or who changed, Damon will always have their memories and their daughter to hold onto. Because after everything, summer nights and chocolate ice cream still hold a place in his fulfilled heart.

**THANK YOU FOR READING THIS! and please review. I will be updating all of my stories soon and I just want to say thank you if you read my stories! Have a good night! **


	3. The First Date

_Sometimes, I don't know what haunts me more... __The memories of you... Or the happy person I used to be._

-_Ranata Suzuki_

Washing her face, Elena splashes water onto her skin as she glances at her reflection. All of the mistakes she made, all of the choices that lead up to now. How much her life has changed in a span of two years. Before she had been so happy, and now? Now she sits in her bedroom, all alone, thinking of Damon and Isabella, of a time when she didn't just hold Isabella but Damon too. Despite her wanting too, Elena still misses those days. The days filled with careless laughter. How did life change so quickly? How did one book launch affect everything? How did one fight affect everything? How did one woman affect everything? How did anything ever happen? Elena thought as she looks into the mirror, thinking of her mother and the advice she once laid upon the young girl.

_16 years ago_

_Miranda brushes through her daughter's hair, Elena smiling as she sits on her bed. "Mom, when did you find out that you loved dad?" An eight-year-old Elena questions her mother, her head falling back every now and then as her mom brushes through her soft brunette locks._

_"Umm, I don't know." Miranda shrugs, trying to think back on her life. "When you fall in love, and you will, you won't realize it but small moments will make up everything in the end. And you won't always remember those small moments, but every memory and every thing you do takes a part in your life. When I met your father I never thought I'd marry him. That's the thing, Lena, we don't actually know what's gonna happen, sometimes things just happen." Elena's mother shrugs, setting the brush on her bedside table as she tucks the young girl into bed. _

_"Do you think I'll fall in love?"_

_"Now why are you so concerned with love?" Miranda laughs as she runs her fingers through the girl's soft hair. _

_"I don't know," Elena smiles, shrugging as her mother smiles._

_"Well, I think you will have a couple of loves, but there will be one." Miranda points her finger in front of her face. "One person that you love more than anybody else that you've been with."_

Present day

Why? People ask Elena that all of the time. If you still love somebody so much then why don't you just go back to them? There are many answers to that question. Some simple and some too complicated to even contemplate. Turns out life is more complicated than a simple fairytale.

_Ring, Ring, Ring._

"Hey Care," Elena answers her phone, holding the device to her ear as she takes a seat on the king-sized bed.

_"Hey beautiful, how are you?"_

"I'm doing good." Elena lies, her smile fake, a mask that is beginning to peal away at her real self, the self that is actually broken at the moment.

_"Good, I am coming to town this weekend and I thought I'd surprise my little angel!" _Caroline shrieks through the phone, happiness filling the auntie's voice.

"Good for me _and_ Isabella. I miss having you here." Elena tells the blonde, a silent tear rolling down the woman's face as she holds onto the phone.

_"Lena, are you sure you're okay?" _

"Yeah," Elena nods as she wipes away her tear, laughing at her pathetic self. "It's just hard on me when she's with him and not with me," Elena tells the blonde, the truth spilling out of Elena's mouth as another tear escapes down her cheek.

_"Oh honey, I know, I know. But you'll see her soon, anyway I have to go. We're at a party right now, I love you. Get some sleep, okay?"_

"Okay bye Care, I-" Elena talks before Caroline suddenly hangs up on the woman, Elena tossing her phone against the bed as she leans back. The ceiling is spinning as Elena shuts her eyes, thoughts running through her mind as she picks up her phone once more, dialing him.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring_.

The sound of the ring annoys Elena to the max as she bites on her nails, desperately wishing for him to pick up.

_"Hello." _Damon eventually answers. Elena sighs deeply as she hears his voice.

"Hey, I was wondering if I could talk to Bella for a minute." Elena voices out, her voice full of obvious sadness.

_"Elena it's eleven o' clock at night. Bella's already sleeping." _

"Oh of course, right," Elena's soft voice breaks for a moment. "I didn't know it was so late. Okay, umm, sorry." Elena answers, her brown eyes full of tears as she sobs.

_"Wait, are you okay?"_

"Yeah, I'm fine." Elena nods, wiping away her tears as Damon breathes through the phone. He doesn't want to care, Elena knows that, but he still does, he always will.

"_Elena,"_ Damon pleads, unconvinced that the woman is okay as she cries over the phone. _"You want me to bring her over?" _Damon then questions, Elena laughing at his sweet response as she shakes her head, why did she ever take him for granted?

"No, let her sleep. I'll see her tomorrow. I'm sorry for calling."

_"Alright, goodnight," _Damon answers, holding back from saying the three words he knows he still feels as Elena hangs up the phone, both of their lives dead and silent without the other.

_Six years ago_

_Elena glances up at the clock, a minute into her English lecture and already she wants to leave. But school is almost out, one more week and then summer strikes._

_Elena cannot think about school though as Damon inundates her mind. The last time she saw him was when he dropped her off from their date? Elena hadn't known what it was, what it meant. All she knows is that Damon Salvatore makes her laugh more than anybody she has ever known. She didn't kiss him, she didn't even touch him, and yet she can't stop thinking about him._

_"Mind if I sit?" Damon's voice then awakens Elena as she snaps up to see Damon, standing above her as she slides over, making room for him._

_"What are you doing here?" Elena questions, her eyes running up and down his body as he sits down, cockily grinning as he watches the brunette._

_"Thought I'd see why you are so obsessed with this English thing," Damon smirks, looking at the professor who is still speaking. _

_"I'm not obsessed with-"_

_"Ssh I'm trying to listen." Damon cuts off the girl, placing his index finger on her lips as her words halt altogether. Her soft lips rub against his finger as Elena's heart thumps wildly, the young man having a drastic effect on the girl's body. Damon then swallows roughly, a serious gaze focusing on her face as he watches her. He knows that she likes him. He can tell by the way she squeezes her legs together, suppressing her darkest wanting. He can tell by the way her hands tremble slightly, by the way she stutters in his presence, by the way she looks at him, by the way she speaks to him._

_Elena then nods, shutting up as Damon removes his finger. Just that motion sent a wave of electricity through her as her heart springs to life, her body itching to touch his._

_"What are you writing?" Damon questions, his mouth inches away from her ear as Elena jumps, dropping her pencil to the ground as people look back at her. Breathlessly, Elena drops down to pick up the fallen pencil as Damon smirks, his eyes full of amusement as he nods at the staring people. This is fun, Damon thought._

_"Why are you here again?" Elena questions as she sits down, repositioning herself in the seat as she tries to focus solely on the professor. _

_"I already told you, I think I might switch my major now." Damon mocks the girl, humorously toying around with her as she rolls her eyes._

_"Shut up," Elena tells him sarcastically as everyone turns around, the professor looking up at the two mischievous students. _

_"Excuse me? Is there something that you two would like to say to the class or may I continue Miss Gilbert?" The male professor questions, his stern gaze penetrating through Elena's innocent body as she shakes her head._

_"No sir," Elena tells him, speaking up as everyone glares at the girl._

_"Alright then," The professor shrugs before continuing on with his lecture, Elena now pissed off at Damon. Damon then runs his finger up her skirt, Elena's eyes widening as she slaps his hand away. God, what is wrong with him? Elena thinks to herself as she focuses on the professor, annoyed that he now sees her differently. Elena isn't disrespectful, she is a polite, quiet girl who sits in the back as she takes notes. And then he shows up, completely distracting her from what's really important._

_"Elena?" The lecture soon ends as Damon questions the silent brunette. Every student picks up their belongings as they all file out of the lecture hall, Elena still mortified after what just happened._

_"Did you have to do that?" Elena then snaps, her eyes beating down on Damon as he steps back._

_"Do what?"_

_"Come in here and be your-your-yourself! I have a reputation, Damon." Elena seethes._

_Damon then chuckles. "A reputation huh?"_

_"God, you are so immature." Elena rolls her eyes but still smiles as she packs up her things._

_"Then why did you say yes to going out with me if I am so immature?" Damon mocks her words as she glances back at him, her eyes full of amusement as she shrugs._

_"I don't know. I guess I like a good charity case." Elena responds wittily. _

_Damon chuckles__, a wide smile appearing on his face as he watches the stunning yet stubborn brunette. __"A charity case? Oh wow, that hurts."_

_"Good, now move so I can actually get an education." Elena pushes the hot guy to the side as she walks past him, acting as if she is annoyed with him when in reality she wants to jump his bones._

_"Wait, god you're fast." Damon breathes out as he follows the girl out of the lecture hall._

_"What do you want with me?" Elena questions, turning suddenly as his eyes widen, her sudden movements startling the young man._

_"I want to take you out to dinner." Damon unveils his plan, Elena smiling as she looks down at her feet. He can tell by the way she bites her lip that she is hesitant, contemplating whether or not this is a good idea. _

_"Dinner? Just dinner?" _

_"Just dinner, nothing else, not even hand stuff." Damon raises his hands as if he is surrendering, his eyes gleaming and a naughty smirk evident on his face. Laughing at his words, Elena shakes her head. Of course, he would say that. _

_"Fine, when?" Elena gives in, her smile not being able to suppress itself as he smirks._

_"Friday night, I'll pick you up at eight. Wear anything or," Damon walks past her, whispering into the stunned girl's ear quietly. "Nothing." _

_Elena flinches at his close proximity before turning around, watching as he strolls down the hallway, that cocky vibe vibrating off of him like usual. Elena then rolls her eyes, but that doesn't mean she isn't completely, indefinitely into him. _

Present Day

Damon stands in front of the stove, flipping pancakes in his sweatpants as he pulls out a plate. "Bella!"

Isabella then comes running through the hall, her feet catching up with her as she falls smack down onto the floor, her head meeting the ground abruptly.

"Shit!" Damon swears as he shuts off the stove, running over to his crying daughter as he swifts his hand through her soft, brown hair. "Look at me," Damon lifts up her chin, inspecting the girls face for injuries as tears trickle down her soft cheeks.

"Dada! My cheek hurts!" The young girl cries out as Damon holds his daughter to his chest, her soft cries hurting his heart.

"It's okay, you're okay." Damon breathes out as he holds the girl tightly, rubbing her head as she cries.

"Daddy I want Mommy!" The girl then screams, holding onto her father tightly as he picks the girl up, carrying her towards the kitchen.

"Ssh, it's okay." Damon calms the hysterical child as he grabs a pack of ice, holding it up to the girl's cheek.

"Mommy," Bella whispers, her voice soft and gentle as she pleads for her mother. Damon understood why. Nobody in the world did comfort quite like Elena Gilbert. Damon is convinced that she is gifted, kind, warmth-seeking out of her. Elena knows him, knows Bella, and somehow she knew how to comfort them both in ways no one else could.

"Does that feel better?" Damon questions as he holds the clothed ice up to the precious, little girl's cheek. Her lips are pouted out as soft tears escape her blue eyes. Of course, she would fall, she always fell. For years Damon and Elena watched Bella like hawks, making sure their daughter didn't smash her head on a table and die at any given moment.

"Daddy my knee hurts." Isabella then points to her knee as Damon sets the girl on the counter, pulling up her pant leg as blood gushes down her leg. "I'm bleeding." Isabella acknowledges her wounds as her eyes widen, her tiny finger pointing to the cut.

"I can see that." Damon chuckles, her soft wonder amusing Damon as he walks over towards the cabinet, grabbing a bandaid and Neosporin. "We better not tell mommy about this or I am going to get an earful." Damon laughs, cleaning the girl's wounds as he thinks of Elena and her tendency to freak out about small things, especially when it comes to their daughter. "There you go, all better." Damon kisses her knee, a smile forming on the girl's lips as she bends down to kiss her knee too, following her father's actions.

"You know you said shit, daddy. Mommy told you not to say that" Bella informs the smirking man.

"How about we don't tell mommy that either?" Damon questions, raising his hand up as she stares at it.

"Alright fine, but I want twenty bucks." Bella shakes his hand, Damon chuckling at her order as he rolls his eyes.

"Hell no, you don't." Damon shakes his head, picking the girl up again as he places her on the couch. "Now how about pancakes?"

_Six years ago_

_"How about pancakes? I'm thinking I-hop." Caroline opens the fridge, no food inhabiting the lifeless machine as Elena walks down the steps. _

_"Actually Damon's taking me out tonight," Elena tells her best friend stoically, no emotion evident in Elena's still voice._

_"Wait, what?" Caroline closes the fridge suddenly, turning with her hand placed on her hip as her eyes widen. "He asked you out?" Caroline smiles._

_"It's not a big deal Care, it's just dinner." Elena rolls her eyes, sitting on the couch as Caroline walks over to the brunette. _

_"Not a big deal? Damon Salvatore asks you out AGAIN! And it isn't a big deal?" Caroline shrieks, her blue eyes wide as she sits beside the humble Elena Gilbert._

_"Caroline he's actually sweet, in his own way. And I'm not having sex with him, so if he tries that then I'm leaving." Elena tells Caroline, hoping that he doesn't pull that on her._

_"Like he doesn't want to have sex with you." Caroline rolls her eyes, disbelief coating her bubbly voice._

"_This isn't about sex anyway, we're just friends." Elena rolls her eyes, not convincing her blonde friend._

_"Just friends? That boy does not have friends that are girls." Caroline rolls her eyes, jumping up as she escapes to the closest. "Now let's see, I'm thinking this one." Caroline pulls out a dress, holding it up to her body as she shows Elena._

_"Oh my god Caroline, you are so obsessive." Elena laughs, rolling her eyes as her friend shows her outfits. _

_"I'm not obsessive, I'm simply a good friend." Caroline smiles, pleased with herself as she hands Elena the royal blue dress. "This one is good."_

_"Caroline,"_

_"Go try on the dress." Caroline rolls her eyes, pushing the hesitant brunette into the bathroom._

_"Fine, just because I'm sick of you nagging me." Elena rolls her eyes as she closes the door, changing into the royal blue mini dress. The dress is strapless, hugging onto her waist as it flows just above her knee caps. "Okay," Elena breathes out, the dress secured on her body as she opens the door. Gasping, Caroline brings her hands to her mouth as she views Elena._

_"Yes! You are wearing that." Caroline applauds, proud of herself for picking out the dress in the first place. Elena doesn't say anything though as she looks in the mirror, her beautiful reflection showing itself as Elena views the dress. _

_"It's too much."_

_"No, a simple sundress is not too much. You are not wearing shorts on a date." Caroline rolls her eyes, dramatizing the situation. _

_Elena then shrugs, looking at herself as nerves flush through her body. She knows that they are not just friends. She could never be just friends with Damon no matter how hard she tried._

Present Day

"Daddy, Uncle Stef is coming to see me?" Bella questions, her eyes wide and hopeful as Damon picks her up.

"Yep," Damon responds, grabbing at his MacBook as the girl sits on his hip. Why does she want to be carried all of the time? Damon isn't sure, but he likes carrying her, he likes that she still _wants_ to be carried.

"And Auntie Caroline too?"

"Yep," Damon answers as they make their way out of the apartment, Damon needing to get his daughter to Elena's.

"You know Uncle Stef is a doctor daddy. Someday I am going to be just like him." Bella tells her father, the dream of being a doctor glimmering in the young girl's eyes as he shifts the girl on his hip. Isabella is fascinated by Stefan, she always has been. She looks up to her uncle, aspiring to be like him someday. Damon didn't mind, what little girl dreamed of being a Vice President of a business? Not his.

"You can be whatever you want to be," Damon smirks, holding the little girl on his hip as they walk out of the building. Placing Bella in her car seat, Damon then makes his way towards the driver's seat as his phone springs to life. Answering the call, Damon holds the phone to his ear. "Hey, Andie."

"_Hey, we're all going out for drinks tonight, wanna come? And before you say no, don't say no." _The woman who works for his father's company speaks softly, her voice full of hopefulness.

Damon then breathes out, thinking about his plans for the night. "Okay, yeah, I'll come." Damon agrees as the woman shrieks, happy that he has finally agreed for once.

"_Okay, see you later." _

"Alright, text me the address." Damon voices back before hanging up the phone. He hadn't gone out in awhile and was in a desperate need for a drink, so hanging out with a few co-workers didn't sound like the worst situation.

"Daddy, who's that?" Bella questions as Damon drives the car, looking at his daughter through his mirrors.

"Nobody, just a friend of mine" Damon answers, driving through the town of Mystic Falls. Watching the signs pass by, Isabella focuses on all of the little details, finding everything in sight amusing.

"Who Uncle Ric?"

"No, not Uncle Ric." Damon chuckles as they pull into the driveway of the familiar home. Stepping out of the car, Damon unbuckles Isabella as she runs out. The wind blows through the girl's soft, brown hair as Damon looks down at her, following the running child to the front door.

"No, no, no, I got it." Isabella pushes her father's hand down, reaching for the doorbell herself as he chuckles. Stubborn, another character trait Elena so willingly passed onto their independent daughter.

Elena then opens the door, her brunette hair tied into a tight ponytail. She looks as if she just got home as she bends down, happily picking up her smiling daughter. "Hey, baby." Elena smiles, kissing Bella's soft cheek as the little girl laughs.

"Hi, mom,"

Damon's eyes then widen as he views what Elena is wearing, the royal blue color having an implemented mark on his memory. He remembered that night quite clearly, the night he finally convinced the stubborn girl to go out with him.

_Six years ago_

_Elena walks down the dormitory building's steps as the summer wind swifts past her blue dress, the material flowing slightly in the wind. Elena looks from right to left, images of her getting stood up appearing in her mind as she waits for Damon. Glancing at her phone, Elena notices that it is a half an hour past eight. He's not coming. Of course, he would do this, Elena thought. It was all a freaking joke. Elena laughs at herself dryly as she turns around, walking back up the steps. _

_"Elena?" Caroline questions as Elena walks back into the dorm room, slamming the door shut. "Elena, what are you still doing here?" Caroline questions, the blonde girl wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. _

_"I can't believe I ever agreed to this, it was all a joke." Elena sighs, kicking off her shoes as Caroline watches her angry friend._

_"What was all a joke?" Caroline questions, carefully approaching her pissed off best-friend._

_"The date! He stood me up. He is half an hour late, meaning that he is not coming." Elena clears the situation up for her confused friend as Caroline's eyes widen._

_"That jerk." Caroline breathes out, her eyes narrow as she crosses her arms, just as pissed off at his behavior as the brunette. "Are you sure he was supposed to pick you up?" _

_"Yes Care, why did I even do this?" Elena questions as she pulls her hair out of the ponytail, her straight brown hair falling across her back as she sits on the couch. "I don't care, whatever. What are we watching?" Elena questions, grabbing the bag of chips as she eats the snack. She is obviously pissed off as Caroline carefully sits next to the steaming girl, not saying a word as they watch Gossip Girl. _

_"You know maybe-" Caroline starts speaking before a knock then echos through the dorm, an unknown person standing on the other side of the door. Elena looks at Caroline, both of them confused as Caroline rises. When the blonde opens the door, a breathless Damon is standing on the other side of the doorway as Caroline's eyes widen._

_"I'm here to pick up Elena," Damon tells the blonde breathlessly, the girl shaking her head as Elena rolls her eyes, hearing him from where she is sitting._

_"Yeah, that was about forty-five minutes ago." Caroline snaps at Damon harshly as she crosses her arms, not allowing him to come in as Elena sits silently on the couch, pretending to watch the television when in reality she is listening to his every word. _

_"I have an excuse."_

_"Sure you do." Caroline rolls her eyes but Damon doesn't care about the blonde girl as he looks past her. Elena is sitting on the couch, facing the T.V. Damon tries to step past the doorway when Caroline then moves, blocking him from approaching the brunette. _

_Damon laughs dryly as he watches the blonde, his jaw clenching agitatedly."Caroline, I get what you're doing but if you don't move in the next thirty seconds I will pick you up and move you myself." Damon responds wittily, tensing his jaw as the girl glares at him. "Okay then," Damon nods, picking the girl up as her mouth falls open. _

_"Damon what the hell!" Caroline shrieks as Damon picks her up easily, placing the startled blonde outside as he walks past her, swiftly walking over to Elena._

_"Elena, please I-" _

_"Am I some sort of joke to you? You pretend to like me, real me in and then ditch me? Because if that's what's going on then I don't want any part of it." Elena snaps, cutting off Damon as he watches her, his ocean blue eyes wide with guilt. _

_"No, I swear I didn't mean to I just got caught up with something," Damon tells the brunette, her beauty weakening his usual confident self. _

_"Damon," Elena shakes her head, laughing dryly as she walks away from him, refusing to disrespect herself and give in. _

_"Elena please, I-" Damon shakes his head too, reaching out to the stunning brunette as he runs his hand through his dark hair, contemplating on letting Elena in when she barely knows him. But she is not just any girl, Damon knows that. "I-my mom she's, she's sick." _

_Elena then turns, her eyes narrow and confused as she gazes at Damon. His blue eyes are mournful as his jaw tightens, obvious vulnerability filling the air between them. Not to mention Caroline is still standing by the door, all three people completely silent and stunned at his words. _

_Shaking his head, Damon then sighs breathlessly. "I really am sorry." Damon apologizes, glancing between the silent brunette and the blonde still standing in the doorway awkwardly. Tension fills the room as Damon walks away, giving up as Caroline stands to the side. _

_"Damon wait," Elena then speaks up quietly, stopping Damon in his tracks as he looks back. Elena's eyes are melancholy and empathetic as she grabs her shoes, slipping the heels onto her bare feet. Damon's eyes narrow as he watches the girl. He is surprised that she is still coming on the date as his jaw tightens emotionally. "I'll see you later Care," Elena tells Caroline as Damon follows her out the __door. _

_"Okay, have fun," Caroline speaks up timidly, awkward emotion flowing between the three of them as she closes the door. Standing in the hall, Elena then turns, facing Damon as he stares down at her. _

_"I really am sorry." Damon apologizes once again, his eyes full of unfamiliar guilt. Never has he wanted a girl so badly. Never has he wanted to impress one person so much. Elena is different, she isn't fake. Elena doesn't spend her hours taking pictures of herself and obsessing over drama. Instead, she focused on school. He could tell how much her education meant to her when he joined the lecture. Ever since he saw Elena at the frat party, he knew he wanted her. Her soft brown eyes, her flowing brunette hair, her perfectly shaped body. But it isn't just her looks it is her personality too, the way she hid behind Caroline at the party when she could have been the center of attention, the way she stood up to Tyler, showing how much she cares for her friends while still showing how much of a badass she is. _

_Elena then smiles slowly, extending out her hand as Damon watches her. Why the hell is she forgiving him? Damon thought to himself as he slips his hand in hers, an uncomfortable feeling running through his veins. All he can think about is her skin underneath his touch, and suddenly he feels oddly nervous._

_Making their way to Damon's car, Damon opens the door for Elena as she steps into the Camaro, her short, royal blue dress flowing as she sits. Smirking, Damon then walks over to the other side of the car, hopping into the vehicle alongside the incredibly stunning girl._

_Silence fills the car for a moment as emotional tension fills the space. Damon hadn't planned on telling her about his mother, in fact, he didn't let a lot of people into his personal life ever._

_"Is your mom really sick?" Elena suddenly questions through the quiet night, both of them sitting quietly as Damon's jaw tightens. Looking over at him, Elena's eyes are filled with empathy as she yearns for him to let her in. _

_"She was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma two years ago," Damon tells Elena, her eyes wide as his jaw tightens, the young man trying desperately to fight back the tears as he speaks of the depressing topic. _

_"Damon," Elena shakes her head, pity covering her voice as Damon shakes his head too. He didn't want pity, he hated it, that's why he didn't tell anybody of his mother's situation. _

_"It's okay, you don't have to say anything, but that's the reason why I showed up late. The doctors have her on this cycle of ABVD, this chemo thing. Anyway, I got caught up at the hospital and I am sorry you thought I stood you up." Damon tells the brunette, his voice dejected, not wanting to let the overwhelming emotion in._

_"Well, I'm an asshole." Elena laughs depressingly, her voice sad as she shakes her head, guilt covering her voice. _

_"No, you couldn't have known." Damon smiles, appeasing the stunning brunette as she stares at him. And finally, she sees all of him. Sure, Damon is the arrogant, cocky, careless, sexy bad boy. But he is also a boy, a boy who loves his mother, a boy who deals with a lot more shit than people know of. _

_"Still, I'm sorry," Elena tells him, grabbing his hand as it rests on the steering wheel, his eyes trailing their joined hands. "Is she going to survive?" Elena questions, Damon's eyes widening as she asks. Usually, people didn't ask. _

_"They say she has three years," Damon tells Elena as he leans his head on the seat, looking at Elena meaningfully. _

_"I am so sorry, really, I can imagine how you feel." Elena nods, her heart breaking for him and for herself, memories of her mother inundating the girl's mind as her brown eyes connect with his blue ones._

_"You can?"_

_Elena than smiles, reminiscing in old memories as she leans against the seat. Looking out at the starry night, Elena then sighs, breathing in slowly. "My mom," Elena leads on, looking down at the green friendship bracelet tired around her wrist. "She died when I was twelve, not from cancer or anything but a car accident." Elena shrugs, her eyes suddenly filling with tears as Damon listens to her, his heart breaking for her. He hadn't expected her to say that. Here he is speaking of his still alive mother while she doesn't even have one anymore. _

_"Elena I am so sorry."_

_"It's okay, it's been six years so, I'm okay now." Elena smiles weakly, her eyes connecting with Damon's once more. Elena is quiet and nervous as she looks away, a silent tear slipping out of Elena's eye._

_"I think this is the most depressing date I've ever been on." Damon then laughs, breaking the ice as Elena laughs too, her euphoric giggle sounding through the quiet night. The sound of her laugh sends an appreciative, little smile onto his face as he slowly wipes away her tear with his thumb. "You still want dinner?"_

_"Yes." Elena smiles, her skin glistening through the summer night as her brown eyes peer into his. Looking at the girl, Damon realizes how amazing she truly is. _

Present Day

Damon watches as Elena holds their daughter, the royal blue dress hugging her gorgeous body. Kissing her daughter, Elena then hugs the tiny girl before setting her down, Bella sprinting through the house as soon as she hits the ground. Smiling, Elena then turns to Damon, her eyes weak and tired.

"How are you?" Elena questions, her beauty so overwhelming that Damon finds it hard to even look at her as he swallows roughly.

"I'm good," Damon nods, watching as Elena's broken eyes connect with his. How did things get so screwed up between them? One day they were two kids, smiling helplessly at one another, completely in love, and now? Now Damon watches her, not being able to touch her, not being able to kiss her, not being able to _be_ with her. For years he thought that maybe they would find their way back, but sometimes things just don't work out in the end.

**Thank you for reading. I hope you like it. Anyway, leave a review if you want and have a nice day/night. :)**


	4. The Story Behind One Day

**Hey readers! This chapter is very ****emotional and touching for me personally. Damon and Elena have a few moments throughout this chapter but it will mostly center around Elena and her backstory. Thank you for reading. For those who are reading Breaking Limits, I have a chapter written and once I fix it I will post it. Thank you, enjoy. **

_To lose someone you love _

_is to tear your world apart._

_You step when moving forward,_

_on the pieces of your heart._

_You try to patch your injuries _

_to pull yourself together _

_but underneath your bandages _

_the cuts stay fresh forever._

-_Ms Moem_

Elena watches as her daughter plays with the barbies, the young girl making small talking sounds as she moves the dolls from place to place. Glancing at her cellphone, Elena views the text messages streaming through her phone. Today is the day where everyone pitied her, everyone remembering the loss Elena suffered on this exact day.

"Mommy? Can I talk to daddy?" Isabella then runs up to her mother, the young girl itching for the phone in her mother's hand.

"Sure," Elena smiles, pointing to the home phone as Isabella runs over, grabbing the telephone as she dials her father. Waiting for Damon to answer, Isabella sits on the stool as Elena stands in the kitchen, out of her daughter's proximity.

"_Hello?_" Damon answers the phone, his voice croaky as if he just woke up.

"Hi dad," Isabella smiles, rubbing her cheek against the phone as she talks to her father.

"_Hey baby, how are you?_"

"I am good. I am just playing with Barbies. Mommy is sad." Isabella tells Damon, her voice sorrowful and gentle as she speaks of her mother's melancholy mood.

_"Mommy's sad? Why is mommy sad?"_

"Because of her mommy," Isabella tells Damon, her light voice sounding through the phone. The small girl picks up on everything. Everything she hears, she remembers, and she remembered that today held the significance of Elena's mother's passing.

Sighing, Damon breathes through the phone exasperatedly, the exhausted man remembering what today is, and what it means for Elena.

_12 years ago_

_Caroline and Elena step off of the bus, both of the young girl's giggling as they step onto the sidewalk. Caroline leaves first as Elena waves to her friend, making her way towards her own home. Step by step, Elena gets closer towards the white paneled house when she suddenly notices flashing red and blue lights, three cop cars sitting in front of the girl's house. Confused, Elena stares at the cars before entering the house, slipping past the open door. _

_"I am so sorry sir." The cop pats Grayson on the shoulder as Grayson sits down, not being able to stand on his own two feet as the horrifying news hits him like a train._

_"Dad?" Elena then questions, the young girl's eyes widened as she watches her broken father. _

_Grayson's head is in his hands as he looks at the ground. Elena is glancing between her father and the cops as one man approaches the girl, the look on his face worrying Elena tremendously. _

_"What's your name?" The middle-aged man asks as he looks down at the confused girl. _

_"Elena, what's going on?" Elena questions, her brown eyes wide as she watches her father cry. Her father is crying. Elena thinks about that and it suddenly hits her. Looking around the house, Elena searches for her mother's presence. "Where's my mom? Where's my mom?" Elena questions twice, her brown eyes filling with tears as she looks at the saddened police officer. _

_"Elena your mother got into a car accident this morning, she passed away." The man informs Elena as her breath gets lodged in her throat, the young girl silent as she turns around. _

_"No, she was fine. I saw her this morning." Elena shakes her head, the young girl unwilling to accept her tragic reality. The officer's face does not hold one ounce of hope though as his saddened eyes fall to the wooden floor. A tear slips out of Elena's brown eye as her heart shatters and her fragile body goes numb. _

_"I am so sorry." The police officer begins to talk to the crying girl when she suddenly sprints up the stairs, slamming her door shut when she reaches her bedroom._

_Elena holds her hand up to her mouth as she sobs, uncontrollable tears falling down the girl's face as she falls against the door. Her small body slides down as the ruckus continues downstairs, police officer's questioning her father. She can't handle it though. Her mother is dead. Elena lets that sink in as she clenches her knees to her chest, tears consistently flowing down her pained cheeks._

_"Mom? Mom?" Elena pleads for her mother sadly as she hears the door slam shut again, more people entering the broken home. But Elena doesn't care as she stays in place, like a stuck statue that has no where to go. _

_A knock then sounds through the closed door as Elena looks back, standing to her feet. When the door opens, Elena's aunt Jenna is standing in front of her, her eyes filled with tears._

_"Oh Elena," Jenna speaks up, shaking her head sadly as the twelve-year-old brunette runs into the young woman's arms, holding on tightly to her crying aunt. "I am so sorry baby." Jenna shakes her head, kissing the top of Elena's head as tears slip down her cheeks. _

_"She can't be, she can't be gone."_

Present Day

Damon sighs as Isabella hangs up the phone, his blue eyes falling as he curses himself.

"Damon?" Andie questions, the naked woman looking up at him as he runs his hand through his dark hair. His jaw is clenched emotionally as he stares down at the black screen. The white sheets are covering their bare bodies as Damon sits up, his back hitting the head board as he sighs. The shirtless man appears to be under distress as Andie sits up too, the brunette woman looking Damon up and down worriedly. "Hey, what's wrong?" Andie questions, running her hand over the man's abs as he stares out in front of him blankly.

Last night, after too many drinks and way too much flirting, Andie ended up back here, the two co-workers fucking until the sun came up. Damon needed sex, in fact, he was desperate for it, and Andie has always fancied the man. And so Damon gave in last night, reveling in the touch of the stunning woman as he released every stress-filled molecule in him. But still, he felt it, the malaise, the grief, the remorse, the regret. Damon misses Elena because no matter how hard these women try, they never compare.

"Damon?" Andie questions again, her soft voice full of concern as she looks into his astonishing blue eyes.

"Yeah," Damon nods, looking over at the woman, but all he can think about is the other woman, the _right _woman. He should've remembered. He should not have needed his daughter to inform him about today, Damon tells himself. He simply should have remembered.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking about work." Damon nods as Andie rises, her naked body is displayed to him as she walks towards the bathroom. The woman's breasts move gently as she flushes her hand through her mid-length hair.

"Alright, I'm going to take a shower," Andie tells the silent man as she shuts the door, the woman disappearing into the modern bathroom.

Running his hand through his black hair, Damon than glances at his phone, thinking of whether or not he should call Elena. As much as it saddens him, it doesn't feel like his place anymore. Even when they were still together, they drifted apart, Elena making it impossible for him to comfort her. She pushed him away, and if he calls now, will she push him away again? Damon decides to say to hell with it as he dials her number, the ring sounding through the silent room as he holds the phone to his ear.

_"Hey," _Elena answers, her gentle voice making Damon's heart rate steady as he revels in her voice, in _her_.

"Hey," Damon responds, his jaw tight as he contemplates what to say. "I just wanted to check in on you."

_"I'm fine, really, I don't need any pity or whatever. It's not that big of a deal." _Elena brushes her emotions off, not allowing herself to cry, to feel.

Damon then shakes his head, her dejected voice paining the saddened man. "Elena, don't do that."

_"Do what?"_

"Pretend like you don't care, like this day doesn't mean anything to you," Damon tells her, his eyes narrowing grievously as he listens to her dispassionate voice.

_"I don't know what to say. I just-" _Elena's voice cuts off, the woman suddenly silent as she breathes heavily. _"I'm okay Damon, really." _

"Elena," Damon pleads for her to let him in as he shakes his head, not convinced that the woman is okay. But before he can say another word, the line cuts off, Elena hanging up on the frustrated man. Throwing his phone against the bed, Damon then rises to his feet, walking towards the dresser as he gets dressed.

Not long after, Andie walks out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her naked body as Damon slides his belt through the pant loops.

"Hey, are you leaving?" Andie questions, her eyes wide with insecurity as Damon smiles assuringly.

"Yeah, I have to go do something but I'll call you, okay?" Damon comes up to the woman, wrapping his arms around her damp, naked body as she smiles, her eyes glimmering with content.

"Okay, I'll be out of here in like ten minutes." Andie tells Damon, the woman throwing on her clothes as Damon nods. Walking out of the bedroom, Damon then makes his way into the kitchen. He shouldn't do this, this isn't his job, and yet here he is, contemplating whether or not he should go to Elena's. He knows her, why other people may be convinced that she is fine, he isn't. After six years, Damon knows Elena better than anyone. Did she confuse him at times? Hell yes. But did she fool him? Never. She may say that she is fine, that today is just like any other day, but Damon knows the truth. Today is not just another day. Today is the day that her mother died, the day that shaped her into the human being she is now.

_Six years ago_

_Elena drives through Mystic Falls, the young woman coming home for the weekend. After her date with Damon, Elena realized how amazing that boy truly is. He didn't try anything, despite his wanting to, and dinner was nice, the two people connecting in an indescribable way. She didn't kiss him but she wanted to, she desperately wanted to. Elena is a firm believer in taking things slow, and slow might be what Damon Salvatore finally needs. But now that Elena got his number, she is beginning to rethink that whole slow idea. His texts and his words are jaw-dropping, the arrogant bad boy having absolutely no shame. And despite her knowing about his personal life, Damon still acted like his arrogant self. That is the thing, Damon can be both when he is around the brunette, vulnerable and seductive._

_Pulling up to the driveway, Elena then glances at her phone, a text from Damon appearing on the screen._

_Damon: Hey ;)_

_Smiling, Elena then types back, her heart pattering wildly in her chest. When she saw his name appear on her phone, her heart skipped a beat. It is a feeling she has never felt, ever. _

_Elena: Hi ;)_

_Elena flirts back before tucking her phone into her purse as she opens the car door. Making her way into the home, Elena then looks around. "Dad?" Elena questions, hoping to God that he is still breathing._

_"Lena!" Grayson shouts, thrilled that his daughter is standing at the door. Dropping her bags to the ground, Elena then rushes up to her father, wrapping her arms around his neck as she hugs him._

_"I missed you," Elena tells him, her voice soft as her father hugs her back, the man wrapping his arms around her body. _

_"I missed you too." Grayson sighs, letting the girl go as he looks at her bags. "We'll do that later. Come in, I made waffles." _

_"Waffles for dinner?" Elena laughs but obliges anyway as she makes her way into the kitchen, following the man._

_"What? You love breakfast for dinner! Your mother used to make waffles all of the time for dinner, remember?" Grayson smiles until his face then falters, the guilty man looking up to see if his reference to Elena's mother had an effect on the young girl. _

_"I remember." Elena smiles, her smile genuine and yet sad as she takes a seat at the table. Two waffles are stacked together as Grayson sits beside the girl, both of them digging into the syrup covered carbohydrates._

_"So how's college going?" Grayson questions as he stuffs a piece of waffle into his full face._

_"Umm great, I finished with a 3.9 so I'm super proud." _

_"Elena! Holy shit!" Grayson bursts out, his hands raised as Elena giggles. "That's amazing hun. Why didn't you tell me that sooner?" _

_"Honestly I've been super busy." Elena shrugs, her voice still worried as she watches her father. She knows the signs, the signs to tell whether or not he had been drinking. Before her mother's death, Elena's father never drank. And then she died and he suddenly depended on the alcohol to even get through the day. _

_"Busy? With what? Boys?" Grayson laughs as Elena's eyes widen in embarrassment. Focusing on the girl, Grayson then raises his eyebrow. "Wait? Is there a boy?" _

_Giggling, Elena shakes her head as she pours more syrup onto her dinner. "It's not really anything big but there is this one guy." Elena intimates at the idea of her casually dating Damon as Grayson's eyes widen._

_"I hope he's not a clone of that Tyler kid. You know I never understood why Caroline dated such an idiot, both of you are too good for guys like that." Grayson tells Elena, his brown eyes meeting hers as he sets his fork down. "So tell me about him." _

_Thinking about Damon, Elena doesn't know where to start. "Umm, he is kind of hard to fit into words." Elena laughs, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as her father questions her. _

_"Well, how old is he?"_

_"Twenty," Elena answers, her father's eyes widening as he scrutinizes the eighteen-year-old girl. "Dad that's not that old." Elena rolls her eyes, Grayson shrugging as he takes another bite._

_"Well, no one is good enough for you. No matter what age he is, I still won't like him." Grayson tells Elena, a chuckle escaping his lips as he smirks._

_"Whatever," Elena rolls her eyes, watching her father as he laughs. Turning serious, Elena then sets her fork down. "So how are you?" _

_"I'm doing good. When I talked to you on the phone, I wasn't lying Lena. I am sober, completely sober and I plan to stay that way." Grayson tells Elena, his eyes serious as he gazes at Elena. _

_"Okay, I believe you." Elena nods, her eyes warm as they connect with her father's once more. _

_"Good now let's talk more about this guy of yours." _

_"Let's not." Elena giggles, grabbing her fork as she shakes her head. But even if she tries to describe Damon, she isn't so sure she can, for that man is different then any other guy she has ever known. _

Present Day

Damon gets into his car, closing the door as he sits there for a moment quietly. Looking in every direction, Damon contemplates whether or not he should go over there. She's not fine, he knows she's not fine. So how can he just sit around when the love of his life is off crying in her bedroom, all alone.

Pressing the gas, Damon then pulls out of the parking structure as he races through town. Elena will most likely push him away, she always did, but Damon knows her by now. The harder he pushes, the easier it will be to get through to the stubborn woman. Elena has been through so much in her life that it is hard for her to accept pity, to accept help.

_11 years ago_

_13 year old Elena enters her room, the sounds of her father crashing bottles onto the ground echo through the house as Elena looks at her hands, unsure of what to do. Today marked the day of her mother's death, everyone reaching out to the widowed man as Elena sits in her bedroom. At this point she had no tears left to cry, her body finally emotionally drained. Her father shut it out his own way too, relying on the amber liquid to forget that he is alone, that the love of his life is no longer here. As much as Elena missed her mother, she missed her father more. The dad that's eyes lit up with happiness at every moment of the day. But this, this trauma pushed Grayson to his edge, the man hitting rock bottom. _

_Walking downstairs, Elena enters the kitchen. Grayson is hunched over the sink, breathing unsteadily as he throws the glass into the sink._

_"Dad?" Elena questions, her soft-eyed father turning as he stiffens. Acting as if he is alright, Grayson stands up straight. But Elena knows, she is too smart not to know how broken he truly is._

_"Hey hun, how was school today?" Grayson questions, his eyes gentle as he takes a seat on a chair. He is trying his best to hold it together for Elena sake._

_"I didn't go, remember?" Elena points it out to the wide-eyed man as he nods, breathing slowly. Tears rise in Elena's eyes as she watches her broken father. She wishes that she could help him, that she could take away his pain._

_"Right," Grayson nods, his smile fake as he assures the young girl that he is okay. But he didn't notice. He didn't even notice that his own daughter stayed home from school today._

_"It's okay Dad, you don't have to pretend with me," Elena speaks intelligently, her father looking up at her sadly as he watches the silent girl. She knows the truth, and that terrifies Grayson. _

Present Day

Elena doesn't have to pretend with Damon. He knows her. He knows that no matter how hard she tries to shut it down, there is still a part of her that feels something.

This isn't his place, Damon thinks to himself as he drives the car, making his way to Elena's house. Two years ago, yes, but now? A part of him is telling him to stay away, to refrain from seeing her and so he turns around. The frazzled man drives back home on a Saturday morning, refusing to give in and go to her.

Elena runs through the house, getting a thousand activities done. She cleans, vacuums, sweeps, _everything. _Elena refuses to give into her overwhelming emotions as she throws the laundry into the dryer. It is easier this way. If she gives into the emotion, she may never stop crying, and so she shuts it out. It is always hard, this day, a constant reminder of the loss she suffered. But still, she gets through it, she always does.

"Mommy, can I help?" Isabella questions, the four-year-old girl leaning against the door frame as she stares at her mother with her dreamy blue eyes.

"Sure baby." Elena nods, smiling brightly as her daughter strides over to her. Handing her the basket, Elena watches as Isabella rummages through the clothes.

"This is hard." Isabella takes notice of her incapability to fold a towel as she pulls the ends together. Laughing, Elena grabs the towel as she shows her daughter how to fold it.

"Well, it would probably be better if the towel wasn't bigger than you." Elena laughs, setting down the laundry as Isabella stares up at her beautiful mother.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah?" Elena looks back at Isabella. The young girl is sitting on a stool as she looks up, her silky brown hair reaching her shoulders as the white sundress she wears flows to her ankles.

"Are you okay?" Isabella questions, her head tilted to the side as she tries to comfort her mother.

Looking back, Elena is stunned that her daughter picked up on her sadness. She wants to pretend like everything is fine, but if she did, she would be lying. "I'm okay baby, but sometimes mommy gets a little sad too, just like when you scratch your elbow and it hurts you," Elena explains to Isabella as she bends down to meet her daughter's stance. "Well, mommy feels a different kind of hurt right now, a hurt that comes from here." Elena points to Isabella's chest, the young girl placing her hand over her mother's.

"I'm sorry mommy. I wish I could make it better." Isabella speaks softly, her gentle voice effecting Elena's ability to stay strong as the woman smiles.

"You always make it better." Elena smiles emotionally, pulling the small girl into her arms as Isabella wraps her arms around Elena's neck. And as she holds her daughter in her arms, a silent tear rolls down Elena's cheek.

_9:32 PM _

Elena tucks Isabella into bed, kissing the girl on the forehead as Isabella squirms.

"I'm not going to bed!" Isabella shouts with a humorous tone as she moves around energetically.

"Well, you didn't nap so now you have to," Elena warns the girl, her eyes widening as Isabella rolls her eyes. "Do not roll your eyes at me," Elena warns the girl, shaking her head at her daughter's insolent behavior.

"Fine, whatever, I don't want to read a book though." Isabella pulls the covers over her body herself, falling down onto her large bed as she sinks into the mattress like the little princess she is.

"Oh really?" Elena questions her daughter's sassy attitude. Raising her eyebrows, Elena is appalled by her daughter's attitude, by her daughter's humor as she notices traits of Damon evident in the strong girl's voice. Isabella is not lacking the same strong will both her mother and father possess.

Shrugging, Elena then gets up before she feels a little hand grab her arm, stopping the woman from leaving Isabella's bedroom.

"Wait," Isabella stops her mother, the small girl's eyes softening as she looks at her mom. "Mommy I love you." Isabella jumps out of bed, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck as Elena holds her close. Isabella's hair smells of roses and coconuts as Elena breathes in the girl's scent, enjoying every amazing attribute of her spirit, even the sassy parts.

"I love you more baby, now go to bed." Elena tucks her daughter back into bed before walking out of the room. Elena gently closes the door as she exhales once, releasing the stress that has built up in her overwhelmed body throughout the day. Every atom in Elena's being wants to cry, wants to reminisce, wants to remember. But Elena refuses as she makes her way down the hall and into her own bedroom. Before Elena can get into the room though, her phone rings to life. Her father's name is displayed on the phone as she stares down at the device, deeply contemplating whether or not she should take the call. She knows what he will say. He will say that he is sorry. He will ask if she is okay. He will bring all of those old feelings up and Elena can't take that, not right now.

With that, Elena lets the call go to voicemail, refusing to give into her emotions yet again as she sets the device on her bedside table. Sitting down, Elena glances at a picture of her mother. Sudden thoughts of the woman blaze through her saddened mind as she thinks of her beloved mother and the meaning behind this day.

Capturing Elena's attention, the door bell then rings as Elena tenses. Thinking it is her father, Elena makes her way down the stairs breathlessly. She is just about ready to tell him she is fine but when she opens the door a completely unexpected surprise stands in front of the wide-eyed woman.

"Damon?" Elena questions. He looks heartbreakingly attractive, his jaw tense, his eyes worried, his lips parted, his hair muffled, his body flawless, his jacket leather.

"I know I shouldn't show up like this but I wanted to make sure that you were okay." Damon breathes out, thick emotion evident in the man's husky voice.

Looking down, Elena shakes her head as her brunette hair falls in her face slightly. "I already told you I'm fine."

"You don't have to pretend with me, Lena," Damon tells her, his eyes begging to be met as the woman looks down at her feet. "I know what today is and I know that deep down you feel something. So stop pretending like you're fine when you're not." Damon advises the teary-eyed woman as she glances up at him emotionally, her brown eyes shimmering with a watery glaze.

"Damon please, don't do this." Elena shakes her head as he takes another treacherous step towards the closed off woman.

"Because I know you. Because I know that under your thick shell is the young girl who lost her mom. You are still that girl Lena, even if you don't want to be." Damon pushes even harder, Elena's eyes filling with tears as he does.

"I just-" Elena shakes her head, the emotion overwhelming her as she begins to sob, tears falling down the woman's cheeks.

Damon nods as she begins to give in. He wants her to feel, to let go for once in her life. The woman then breaks down, a sob escaping her soft lips as Damon runs up to the woman, pulling her smaller body into his strong arms. She fits like a glove, she always did. "Ssh, it's okay." Damon hushes her, brushing his fingers through her brunette hair lightly as she holds onto his shirt. The cotton material lies beneath her soft touch as her head is pressed up against his chest, his heartbeat echoing through her mind as she listens. And just like that, suddenly she gives in, to everything. When Damon holds her, suddenly everything comes flooding in like an unstoppable tidal wave, whooshing the damaged girl to the ground. She is no longer able to push aside the overbearing emotion that comes along with her mother's death. Because it's Damon, the man that knows her better then anyone else.

"It's okay baby, it's okay." Damon slips up, calling the woman baby as she cries against his chest. But it doesn't matter because even if he calls her that, even if he doesn't, they will always mean more to each other than everyone else. He will always be the father of her child and she will always be the mother of his. They will always be bonded, not just by the small girl sleeping upstairs, but by their undying connection. And no matter how much hurt they suffer, they somehow always find their way back, wrapped up in each other's arms as if that is where they truly belong.

**AN: for all of the questions that have been asked, all of them will be answered as the story progresses. Also just know that I can't respond if you review as a guest but thank you for reviewing it means a lot! Anyway, this chapter is kind of depressing, I know. But it develops Elena's character and even Damon and Elena's relationship, showing their incapability to stay away from one another. All questions will be answered though, and I know some of you are anxious to see what went down between them but you will find out soon enough. Also, I know this chapter is kind of teasing and hopeful but this story is going to be long and emotional and this is certainly not the end. Anyway, thank you for reading and I love love love reading reviews to my stories so if you would like to make my day please leave a review! If not, that's okay too. Either way, hope you all enjoy and have a good day/night! Next chapter will be more upbeat!**


	5. Fire on Fire

**AN: hey readers so let's get one thing straight, Damon and Elena never married and they are no longer together. Damon DID NOT cheat on Elena by sleeping with Andie last chapter. They are split up currently and I will slowly unravel their emotional past and what happened. Anyway, with that being said enjoy this chapter! **

_Our eyes met and suddenly I forgot how to breathe._

_-unknown _

They say one person can change your life. Elena used to believe that was a load of shit, but then she met Damon. And ever since that day at the lake, Elena knew that she could never let go.

_Six years ago_

_Elena sits on her bed, the dorm empty since Caroline went home for the weekend. The two girls decided to stay here instead of moving back home for the summer. _

_Deciding she is in desperate need of some fresh air, Elena walks out of the stuffy building. The weather is warm as the sun beats down on the brunette, Elena standing by the swaying trees when she suddenly takes notice of the blue Camaro driving down the street. That can only mean one thing._

_Pulling up to the girl, Damon rolls down his window. His black hair is imperfectly perfect as those icy blue eyes peer into her awakened soul. "Get in," Damon only speaks those two words as Elena looks from right to left, unsure if he is speaking to her._

_"What?"_

_"Get in," Damon repeats himself, opening the passenger side door as Elena eyes him skeptically. They hadn't talked much since their first date, Elena thinking that he got bored._

_"Damon I have to-" Elena shakes her head, declining whatever he is offering as she points back to the building._

_"Elena, get in the damn car." Damon orders her, his voice low as shivers span up Elena's nervous body. Surrendering to his wanting, Elena makes her way to the other side of the car. _

_"Where are we going?" Elena looks over at him, her stomach dropping as she catches view of the more than attractive young man._

_Smirking, Damon doesn't answer as he starts the car. His hand is resting loosely on the wheel as Elena sits beside him silently._

_"Damon, seriously." Elena shakes her head, waiting for him to answer her previous question._

_Looking over at her, Damon then widens his eyes as he smiles sarcastically. "Elena, seriously." _

_"Damon,"_

_"You need to loosen up. A little unexpected excitement is what you need." Damon tells the wide-eyed girl what she needs as Elena moves away, crossing her arms over her chest as Damon continues to drive down the desolate road. _

_"Fine," Elena's stubborn personality comes through as she sits silently, waiting for the "excitement" he speaks so highly of._

_About fifteen minutes later, Damon and Elena pull into a secluded forest, a lake peering out from beneath the large American beech trees. The sunlight glimmers through the cracks of the gigantic trees as Elena looks out the window, captivated by nature._

_"Come on," Damon nods his head as he opens the door, escaping the confines of the car. Elena then gets out too, the young woman stepping out onto the grassy trail. Her yellow dress blows delicately in the wind, the sight catching Damon's attention as he looks back at the beautiful human._

_"How did you know this was back here?" Elena questions as she meets Damon's stance, both of them looking out at the lake for a moment peacefully. _

_"Just found it and thought it was a good place to think." Damon tells her as his eyes focus on the water, his blue eyes shimmering under the faint sunlight. _

_Nodding, Elena agrees as she takes in the peaceful sight. The birds are chirping as the water flows delicately, the sunlight grazing the deep waters. _

_"You want to go in?" Damon smirks dangerously, looking at the water as Elena's stomach drops._

_"What?"_

_"Come on." Damon then precedes to remove his clothing, the young man pulling his blue shirt over his body. His abs are clearly defined as Elena swallows roughly, the girl suddenly nervous while in his intimidating presence. _

_"Damon." Elena shakes her head, trying to stop him as she calls his name. _

_Damon doesn't answer the woman though as he removes his pants, black boxers being the only material to cover him. _

_Wide-eyed, Elena gulps as she views him. How can one man be so intimidatingly sexy? She thought. _

_"Take it off." Damon nods at her dress, the man's eyes focused on her nervous stance as Elena looks down at the yellow dress still covering her body. Elena doesn't answer as her eyes stay trained on him, Damon moving slightly forward as she stands tacitly. The young man then moves so that he is directly in front of her, his breath hitting the side of her cheek._

_Breathing out nervously, Elena watches as he wraps his finger around the strap of her dress. One strand slides down her shoulder, then the other as his fingertips delicately travel across her exposed skin. His hands then travel to her back, the young man pulling down the zipper searingly slow as Elena swallows nervously. Damon's body lowers as he slides the dress down her legs, the material falling to the ground. _

_Elena can feel the pulse awakening between her thighs as he touches her, stimulating every nerve evident in her shaken up body. The desire for him is excruciating and unfamiliar. With Matt she never felt this way. She never felt so consumed by one person._

_Scaling his fingers up her body, Damon slowly rises to his feet once again. Elena is in nothing but her white lacy bra and underwear as Damon views the girl. She appears to be nervous, goosebumps covering her skin even though it is eighty degrees out. _

_Smirking, Damon watches the brunette before turning around to face the water once again. "Live a little Gilbert." Damon speaks lowly to her before jumping into the lake, his body moving the water tremendously as Elena flinches, her smile uncontrollable as water splashes across her body. _

_Elena stands on the dock, her arms folded over her body as Damon watches her. Water droplets fall down his face as his blue eyes glimmer, a humorous smile evident on his face as he looks up at her. _

_"How many girls have you taken here?" Elena then questions as she sits down on the dock, watching him as he swims independently. _

_"Only you," Damon smirks, swimming over towards her dangerously as Elena's feet dangle in the water. "Are you nervous?" _

_"What? Why would I be nervous?" Elena questions, her body tensing as he gets closer to her. _

_"Because you're still sitting there." Damon hints at her nervousness as his hands gently trail up her smooth legs. Elena watches as he touches her. How much she wants him to touch her whole body. How much she wants him to touch every aspect of her. _

_"Fine," Elena shrugs as she slaps his hand away from her legs. Chuckling, Damon watches as she rises. __Her hands are no longer covering her body as Elena stands confidently, the brunette running across the dock until she jumps into the air, letting go of her worries as she falls willingly into the deep waters. _

_Elena's giggle echos through the silent day as Damon watches her, his breath getting caught in his throat as she rises. _

_"What?" Elena blushes under his gaze._

_"Nothing," Damon shakes his head, both of the two swimming breathlessly as they stare lustfully at one another. Swimming closer to the girl, Damon is now inches away from her face. The sunlight is glimmering off her tanned skin as tiny water droplets cover her beautiful skin. Her brown hair is pushed back, the water drenching her long locks. Never had he seen someone so stunning, and he wanted to touch her, to explore her._

_"I haven't seen you in awhile." Elena begins to talk, breaking their lustful gaze as Damon shrugs._

_"I know," Damon nods, his lips soft and enticing as Elena views them. "It's beautiful isn't it?" Damon looks up, the water soaking his black hair as he leans back. _

_"Yeah," Elena smiles, but all she can think about is his body so close to hers. Watching him, Elena's eyes stare until he looks at her too, their eyes connecting passionately as Damon sees straight through her. But what Elena doesn't know is that he doesn't see straight through her, in fact she is much more dimensional than she thinks she is. In fact Elena is quite confusing to Damon._

_Slowly, Damon inches towards the nervous girl as her lips tremble. Their bodies travel closer and closer to one another until Elena can feel his hand touch her side. Surprised by his sudden touch, Elena flinches as he presses his body against hers, his lips just barely under hers as Elena's eyes drop down._

_"Damon," Elena shakes her head as his hands travel up her back, his fingertips igniting her skin. Inch by inch, his lips get closer to hers until she backs up, Elena pushing him away as she swims back to the dock breathlessly. _

_Damon then continues to swim solely on his own as he watches the girl swim away. He is stunned by her rejection._

_Elena hops up onto the dock as Damon swims back over too, getting out of the water to join the breathless woman. _

_"Elena," Damon leads on as she turns away from him, her almost naked body glistening as water travels down her tanned legs. Elena runs her hands through her wet hair stressfully as Damon stands behind her, a guilty look cast upon his face. "Elena I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"_

_Not being able to shut off her lust, Elena runs up to Damon, grabbing his face with her hands as she kisses him passionately. He is surprised by her actions for a moment but he soon sinks into her as he rests his hand on her back, pulling the girl closer to him. Elena swings her arms around his neck as she falls against him, Damon taking her in a way she has never been taken before._

_Damon's lips then disconnect from Elena's as his hand rests on her cheek. Her brown eyes are dazed as she comes back down to reality, the woman being taken away by the dark haired man. Gently, Damon than precedes to run his other hand down her body. His hand slowly pans over her breasts, then her naval, until he glides his finger along the edge of her pantie line, causing Elena to lose her balance as Damon gets closer to the place that desires him most._

_Smirking, Damon looks at the skittish girl as she quakes beneath his tantalizing touch. He has her wrapped around his finger at the moment as she holds onto his muscular arms. Elena's eyes then shoot up as he pulls his hand away suddenly, teasing the girl. _

_"Don't stop." Elena mutters out breathlessly as he bites his bottom lip. _

_"You mean this?" Damon stands in front of her, his hand gliding across her back as he drops down to place his mouth against her neck. Kissing her lightly, Damon makes Elena lose her strong will as she surrenders. _

_"Uh huh," Elena mutters out when a car suddenly sounds through the woods, both of the college students breaking away from each other as they look to the right. _

_"Hey! Who's out there?" the male voice questions territorially as Elena's eyes go wide, fear creeping into the girl. _

_"Come on!" Damon laughs, grabbing Elena's hand as she follows him willingly._

_"Damon what the hell?" Elena questions as they grab their clothes, their hands still joined as they run through the trees._

_Jumping into the car, Damon closes the door as Elena jumps in too, both of the them escaping the woods quickly before the unknown man can catch them. _

_"Wait, is this someone's property?" Elena questions, an electric smile on her face as she looks out the back window._

_"Yep," Damon laughs too, both of them filled with adrenaline, a rush that only they bring to one another._

_Elena looks at Damon for a moment before her eyes darken, lust setting in once again. Damon is still in his boxers while Elena is only in her bra and underwear, both of them gazing at one another passionately. Suddenly Damon then pulls over, away from anyone's view as he turns off the engine._

_"What are you-" Elena questions his actions before Damon slides his hand over her leg, swiftly pulling the woman on top of him. Elena then straddles Damon as their eyes fall to each other. _

_"You are so beautiful." Damon compliments Elena as he runs his hand over her still damp cheek. But he doesn't get long to appreciate her because Elena then drops down, joining their lips together once more. Damon's hands fall to her hips as he grips them tightly, holding on for his dear life as she grinds against him. _

_"Mmh." Elena moans out as his tongue slides into her mouth. Traveling up his body, Elena's hands span across his abs__ until they are both on his neck, the girl pulling him impossibly closer. Damon's boxers suddenly become tight under the seductive woman as she moves against him, awakening his aching member. _

_"Elena," _

Present Day

"Elena, Elena, Elena." A voice awakens the sleeping woman as her eyes widen. The sunlight peering through the bedroom is overwhelming as Elena looks in every direction, startled by her father standing in front of her.

"Dad?" Elena questions as she rubs her eyes.

"You were supposed to wake up two hours ago." Grayson rolls his eyes as he pulls out a dress for the girl, laying it on the bed as she sits up. The white, silky drapes sway softly as the wind enters through the open window.

"For what?"

"You don't remember?" Grayson looks at his daughter, his eyes wide as she looks at him. Shrugging, Elena shakes her head. "We have to go to Jenna's."

"Shit," Elena swears, slapping herself on the head as she remembers. Today is Jenna and Logan's engagement party, the two finally got engaged after five years of dating.

"Yes, and everyone is supposed to be there by eleven and it is ten." Grayson rambles, Elena looking through the hallway as she searches for her daughter.

"Where is she?"

"Isabella is with Damon. He's coming too." Grayson tells Elena as she looks away from him, staring at the alarm clock.

"Why? Why is _he _coming?" Elena questions as she gets up, tiredly removing the comforter from her body as she rises.

"Because he is part of the family." Grayson answers swiftly as Elena nods. He's right. Damon is a part of their family. In fact her father took a great liking in the boy, treating him like the son he never had. At a point in time, Grayson even took Damon's side when things weren't so peaceful between Damon and Elena.

"So then why are you here? I can just meet you there." Elena tells him as she puts the dress that he laid out back in the closet, picking out a different one. Her father is smart, but his taste is horrendous, the middle-aged man somehow selecting the ugliest dress in her closet.

"Because I wanted to make sure you actually came," Grayson tells his daughter as he sits on her bed, watching as she rummages through the clothes.

"Dad I_ am_ coming, why wouldn't I come?"

"Because I know that you are tired and exhausted with work and being a mom. And Damon may have-"

"Damon may have what?" Elena turns around, her eyes wide as she waits for her father to finish. What the hell did Damon say about _her_?

"He told me that he came over here and you broke down in his arms," Grayson tells Elena as she laughs dryly, the woman shaking her head at Damon's annoying, persistent behavior.

"Of course he did." Elena rolls her eyes, pulling out a black, elegant dress that reaches just above her knees.

"Elena, he still cares about you that's why he tells me things. He wants you to be okay." Grayson tells the annoyed woman as he shrugs.

"I am okay! And if he cares so much then why did he-" Elena begins to go off before she catches herself, refraining from saying anything else as she shakes her head. It's over, no need to bring up the past, Elena thought.

_Six years ago _

_Damon pulls up to Elena's dorm, both of them in a daze after what just happened at the lake. Their hot makeout session in the car effected both of them, Elena yearning for more. But they have time. _

_"You want to come in?" Elena questions as she looks over at him._

_"Sure." Damon nods, his hands itching to touch her once again as they make their way towards her dorm. The minute they get to the stairs, his hands are on her body, their lips reconnecting once again. _

_Fire, that is what Elena feels. She feels as if every nerve in her body is ignited, Damon awakening every part of her. Caroline was right. Damon can truly make a girl go mad._

_Opening the door, Elena and Damon walk into the dorm room, their hot make-out session distracting them as they knock over a lamp. Damon pushes Elena onto the bed as she climbs on top of him. Their lips never part as Damon feels around her body, pulling her dress over her head as he grips her hips. _

_"God you're sexy." Damon pants out as he kisses her neck, the young woman straddling him as her head falls back. His hands roam her body as they allow themselves to get caught up in the moment. So much for taking things slow._

_Grabbing at his neck, Elena pulls Damon back into her as they kiss passionately, his tongue slowly entering her open mouth as her breasts press up against his chest__. Elena fumbles with the ends of his shirt, pulling it up until it is completely off of him. _

_Elena is solely in her undergarments as Damon feels at her body, his hands falling to her ass when the door suddenly opens. _

_"Oh my god Elena!" Caroline shrieks, turning around quickly. Her eyes are now burned with the image of a half-naked Elena straddling a half-naked Damon. _

_"Caroline, shit." Elena climbs off of __Damon as fast as she possibly can as she falls to the ground. Damon is smirking as Elena jumps off of him frantically, grabbing at his shirt to cover her practically naked body. _

_"Elena, __hallway, now." Caroline orders her best friend as Elena looks over at Damon. Elena's breath is barely steady as she slips Damon's shirt onto her body along with a pair of denim shorts. _

_"Just, stay here," Elena tells Damon, her voice unsteady as she tries to regain her composure._

_"Okay," Damon speaks, his shirtless body enticing Elena as he lies on her bed. _

_"Okay," Elena nods as she walks out of the room and into the hall where a frazzled Caroline stands. "Care I am so sorry."_

_Caroline then starts laughing, bringing her hands up to cover her smile as she laughs helplessly. Elena is looking at the laughing girl as she squints her eyes, confused as to why the blonde finds this so funny. _

_"Damn, he is hotter than I thought." These are the only words Caroline speaks as she laughs, Elena laughing too as she thinks of the odd predicament they're in._

_"Care I didn't think you would be home so soon." Elena excuses her behavior as Caroline's eyes drift to the closed door._

_"I didn't think you would be doing, that." Caroline's eyes widen, her image of the innocent Elena Gilbert being greatly altered after catching Elena in bed with the guy that she wanted for herself at one point. _

_"I know, I just, something came over me." Elena tries to explain her unexplainable, unfamiliar feelings that she experiences when she is in Damon's presence. _

_"Maybe I should go." Caroline points down the hallway as Elena shakes her head._

_"No, no, no, I don't know what I was thinking. This isn't me." Elena shakes her head, coming back down to reality as she thinks of what she could be doing if Caroline hadn't walked in on them. _

_"Elena, wait no. Stop thinking so much, maybe this is you. Maybe after all of this time Damon is someone who could do you good. Elena you don't always have to be the perfect girl that has everything together. Let go." Caroline tells the girl, her hands falling to the brunette's shoulders as she smiles. "Just use a condom." Caroline tells Elena as the brunette rolls her eyes in response. Caroline then walks away, leaving Elena standing there in the hall, unsure of what to do. Trust her heart or her head?_

Present Day

Elena enters her Aunt Jenna's home, ivory decorations covering the modern furniture as Elena looks around. Everyone is talking as Elena makes her way to the back of the home in search of her daughter.

"Elena!" Jenna screams out in excitement, pulling the girl into a hug as Elena takes in her cheerful, almost drunk aunt.

"Congratulations Jenna." Elena speaks sweetly, hugging her Aunt back as her eyes span across the people filled living room. "Have you seen Damon?" Elena questions, the brunette pulling away from Jenna as both of the woman look for the dark-haired man.

"No, but I will tell him you're looking for him if I see him. I'm so glad you came baby." Jenna smiles, kissing Elena's cheek as Elena smiles genuinely. "Oh, I got to go say hi real quick, one sec." Jenna excuses herself from this conversation as she moves onto the next guest, taking in a million compliments and congratulations as Logan stands beside her.

Moving on, Elena picks up a glass of champagne as she empties the refreshing drink into her stressed body. Emails inundate Elena's phone, her manager pressuring the young woman to publish another book while she is still a striking sensation on the market. But life is tugging her down currently, Elena not wanting to sit down and write. She simply has no inspiration at the moment.

Damon is chatting with Grayson as Isabella rests on his hip, the small girl leaning her head on her father's shoulder tiredly. Her eyes flutter shut as she lies upon his shoulder, completely oblivious to the world around her as she falls asleep.

"What's got her so tired?" Grayson chuckles, smiling as he views his sleeping granddaughter.

Damon smirks as he runs his hand over her blue dress, smoothing down Isabella's long sundress as her eyes flutter shut. "Too much sugar actually makes her tired, just like her moth-" Damon speaks before his words halt all together, the man catching view of Elena. Her eyes are focused on the window but all he can see is her. The black dress she wears is mid-length and tight, the sleeves off-the-shoulder as a tiny slit cuts through the bottom left of the dress, her seductive, long legs showing themselves. The black pumps she flaunts sends him into oblivion as he shakes his head, stunned by her magnificent beauty.

Grayson squints his eyes at the young man's sudden silence as he trails Damon's gaze. Looking to the right, Grayson then notices what Damon is looking at, or _who_ he is looking at. Grayson can't hide his smirk as he watches Damon stare at his daughter, the young man obviously still captivated by what he sees.

"Elena." Grayson calls his daughter's name as she turns her head, focusing on the two men standing by the fireplace. Walking over, Elena's heels clink against the wooden floor as she stops in front of them.

"She's sleeping?" Elena laughs warmly as she runs her hand over the child's back. Isabella's cheeks are smooshed together as Elena watches her beautiful daughter sleep soundlessly on her father's shoulder.

"Yeah, I am going to get going soon anyway. I'll put her to bed early." Damon tells Elena, his blue eyes falling to her brown ones as Elena's stomach plummets. After all of this time, he still does it. Damon still has the ability to make Elena weak in the knees. He still has this incredible control over her, as if her body is incapable of refraining from the man.

"Okay," Elena nods, her eyes not falling from the icy blue orbs that supplied all of life's answers once upon a time. But Elena is not able to take his lustful gaze as she looks away, swallowing roughly as she tries to handle herself. "I am going to go talk to Jenna." Elena lies, breaking their gaze as she walks away. The woman taking the easier route just like always.

Damon watches her brokenly, his heart aching for her to just _stay_, for her to not always shut him out.

"You should go talk to her." Grayson nods towards Elena, telling Damon to follow the woman.

Shaking his head, Damon watches her walk away. "If she wanted to talk she wouldn't always walk away," Damon speaks stoically, not allowing the past to creep into his mind as he blinks once. "I'm going to go, Gray, see you soon." Damon turns as he pats Grayson on the back.

"Okay." Grayson nods, understanding where Damon is coming from as the dark haired man walks away. After all of this time, Grayson still sees it. Damon and Elena's love still exists, even if they are too stubborn to notice.

Opening the door, Damon walks out of the house.

_Six years ago_

_Opening the door, Elena steps back into the dorm room. Damon is rummaging through her stuff, closing her diary suddenly as he holds it in one hand. _

_"You know I really appreciate your use of adjectives in this, it's so-" Damon goes on sarcastically before Elena snatches the diary from his hands. "Descriptive." Damon finishes his sentence as Elena rolls her eyes, setting the diary inside one of her drawers. _

_"You're an asshole," Elena tells him, her voice awkward as she thinks of what they were just caught doing ten minutes ago. _

_"I take it you don't want to make out any more," Damon speaks humorously, getting straight to the point as he breaks the tension once again. Damon isn't a serious guy. Elena can spot that trait from a mile away. She had one serious conversation with him and that was about his mother, other than that he joked and mocked, refraining from the deeper things. _

_"Listen, I can't just be another girl you sleep with, and I know that's what you're into but Damon I-" Elena rambles off reasons why she can't do this before Damon takes another step towards her, his chest hitting hers as he towers over the suddenly nervous girl. _

_"Who said that's what I'm into?" Damon then turns serious, his blue eyes genuine as he stares into her emotional eyes. His breath is slow as he glides his hand across her soft cheek, feeling at her smooth skin as her eyes peer into his. The moment quickly turns sensual as Damon looks down at her. He looks at her, differently. No one ever looked at her the way he does. _

_Elena is silent as she swallows down her desire, the young woman watching him watch her. The room is filled with an intense, sexual tension as Damon's hand stills on her cheek. The only sound echoing through the room is their heavy breathing, both of them completely captivated by the human being standing before them. Not being able to control himself, Damon then takes her to another universe as he kisses her leisurely, allowing her to sink into his bigger body as she loses everything, as he loses everything. Both of them giving in to what they want. The kiss is slow and lasting as Damon slowly deepens it, his tongue gradually slipping into her open mouth as fire ignites between them. A fire that will never die no matter how much water is used in order to cease the burning. _

**AN: Ugh I love this chapter lol. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. I am trying desperately to update my other stories too but I have actual school rn too so that sucks. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW. Have a good day/night and Happy Easter or Passover!**


	6. Falling For You

**AN: thank you to all of you who read this story. Reviews make me so happy and I'm glad some people like it. I truly put a lot of work into my stories and spend hours and hours rewriting and rereading so I love to get feedback. This chapter is full of Damon and Elena so enjoy! And a new couple is introduced ;) Anyway Thank you for the nice reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

_The rains have their oceans_

_and the sun has its moon—_

_everything needs a reason for falling_

_and I have you._

_-Beau Taplin_

Damon rummages through the office, organizing the documents for tomorrow's presentation as he breathes out exasperatedly. Catching the man's attention, Andie then appears in the doorway as he looks up to view the thirty-year-old woman.

"Hey," Andie waves, the woman smiling lightly as she strides into the office.

"Hey, you need something?" Damon questions as he continues to file through papers, not sparing a glance to the woman standing before him.

"No," Andie shakes her head, looking down as she turns to walk out the door once again. She almost reaches the door until she changes her mind, turning around with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Actually I was going to ask you something."

Looking up, Damon views the woman. She is wearing a black dress with a white blazer, her hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"Do you want to go get dinner some time?" Andie questions tacitly, her insecurity showing greatly as she views the stunning man. His blue eyes electrify her as he stands straight, the man obviously caught off guard by her sudden question. But Andie wants him and she isn't one to back down from something she wants.

"Umm," Damon shakes his head, the man caught off guard as he stares down at the paper-filled conference table.

"You know what, nevermind. Forget I said anything." Andie shakes her head, her voice soft and yet defeated as she backs away. The smile on her face is forced as she turns to leave.

"Wait," Damon then calls the woman back into the room as she turns, her body still facing the door while her eyes bore into his. "Dinner sounds good." Damon accepts the woman's offer as she smiles.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." Andie waves, smiling at the dark haired man as she walks out of the conference room. Sighing, Damon realizes that he is moving on. Every date just means he is getting closer to someone else and further away from Elena. Does he want to move on? Damon isn't so sure.

Looking at his phone, Damon then notices a text from Stefan. His brother is coming home for the weekend along with Caroline, the two of them dating for a while now. Smiling, Damon is taken back to the night when he first introduced the two.

_Six years ago_

_Elena and Caroline pull up to the lake party, the loud music blaring through the large speakers. Everyone is drinking, limitless amounts of alcohol being supplied on school grounds. Not many students stayed up here since summer housing is limited, Elena and Caroline reserving the last couple spots in the dorm building. The girls both plan to get jobs while Elena also takes a summer writing class and Caroline focuses on a fashion internship she landed. Bonnie, however, went back to Mystic Falls, living with her father for the summer while Caroline and Elena stayed up here. _

_"So where's Damon?" Caroline nudges Elena, getting an eye roll in response as Elena shrugs. _

_"I don't know, we're not like that." Elena rolls her eyes at her friend's words as she looks out at the lake, the night sky dark as the moonlight glimmers across the water. Usually, the parties occurred at the frat houses, but all sororities and frats are closed now until fall, the college students having one last soirée before some go back home. _

_"Yes you are and you know it." Caroline rolls her eyes at her best friend's humbleness as the blonde searches for male real estate. "What happened to all of the hot guys like in the movies?" Caroline shrieks, her eyes dramatically wide as she looks around. _

_"Care, relax, it's summer and you don't need a guy right now." Elena smiles as she grabs the blonde's hand, pulling her towards the keg stands. College guys pour beer into plastic red cups as Elena grabs two of them, handing one to Caroline. _

_"Well, well, well, look who arrived." Tyler then comes up from behind the girls, his body alarmingly close to both of their behinds as Caroline rolls her eyes. _

_"Tyler, do yourself a favor and get lost," Caroline tells him as his brown eyes focus on the brunette standing beside the ranting blonde. _

_"Will do," Tyler smirks, winking at Elena as he makes his way over towards the lake. Young girls fall all over the muscular athlete as he flexes, Elena realizing how much of a self-conceited asshole he really is. _

_"He is just-" Elena shakes her head, words falling from her lips as she tries to describe the ass head of a male._

_"The worst." Caroline finishes Elena's sentence as they look at one another, clinking their glasses together as they watch the childish boy flirt with the young, naive girls. _

_Looking to her right, Elena then takes notice of Damon's car. She can spot that car from anywhere, the one of a kind blue Camaro rolling up confidently as Elena watches for the dark-haired man. The faint light of the fire mixed in with the glimmering light of the moon brightens the dark night as Elena watches him exit the car. His dark hair is muffled as always, the young man most likely running his hands through his hair one too many times. His dark jeans and black shirt force Elena to shake her head, the girl completely astounded by the seductive qualities he possesses. Never has Elena Gilbert felt so turned on then when she is in the presence of Damon Salvatore. _

_As Damon gets out of the car, Elena then notices another young man as well. The two boys walk in together, chatting humorously as Damon laughs. Elena has never seen the dirty blonde haired boy before, but he isn't so bad on the eyes either._

_Walking up to the party, Damon then notices the familiar brunette standing close to her blonde best friend. Elena's hair is straight, her flowing hair swaying from right to left as the faint wind blows through it. Her white shirt dips low, the outline of her perfect breasts being shown wondrously. The denim shorts she wears are simple and yet she is the most stunning woman Damon has ever seen. _

_"Come here Stef." Damon leads his younger brother down the path and over to the girls as Elena turns, her eyes meeting his for the first time tonight. _

_"Hey." Elena smiles as Damon approaches the girls._

_"Hey." Damon smiles too as he gets caught up in those brown eyes. Coughing, Stefan then snaps Damon out of his lust as Damon shakes his head. "Right, yeah, this is my younger brother Stefan." Damon introduces his brother as Caroline's eyes drift over the attractive blonde._

_"Hi, I'm Elena." Elena shakes Stefan's hand politely, the girl's dazzling smile affecting both of the young men. _

_"And I'm Caroline." Caroline then shakes Stefan's hand as the young man nods, his eyes wide as he takes in the beautiful girl standing before him._

_"You want a drink?" Elena asks Damon as he nods, both of them walking away as they leave their company to fend for themselves. _

_"So where do you go to school?" Caroline asks, her voice light and bubbly as Stefan views the gorgeous blonde._

_"NYU actually." Stefan smiles, Caroline impressed when he does._

_"Woah, that's far." Caroline's eyes widen as he chuckles. _

_"Yeah, I heard Damon has a lot of fun down here so I thought I'd come to check it out for the weekend." Stefan nods as he glances at his brother and the brunette. "So who's the girl?" _

_"Elena? Oh, she is my best friend and the flavor of the month for your brother I guess." Caroline tells Stefan as the boy smiles, laughing at her non-filtered personality. _

_"Is that so?" Stefan's green eyes bore into Caroline's blue ones as she smiles, her bouncy curls swaying as the wind passes._

_"And what about you? Do you have a flavor of the month?" Caroline then questions flirtatiously as the young man stiffens. _

_"No, no, I don't," Stefan tells her as Caroline looks him up and down, Stefan isn't like other guys. Even though Damon is respectful at times, he is still an asshole. But Stefan, Stefan is different. He is sweet and tense, intimated by the gorgeous blonde. And he is not just sweet, he is breathtakingly attractive, Caroline having an uncontrollable urge to flirt with him. _

_"Well then, you want a drink?" Caroline flirts, her blue eyes narrow as she looks at the young man through the faint moonlit night. _

_"Yeah." Stefan smiles as both of them walk over to where Damon and Elena stand, the two of them talking as the blonde grabs two cups. Handing Stefan the cup, Caroline then stands beside the young man, already smitten with the boy._

_"I didn't know you had a brother." Elena nudges Damon to the side, Damon smirking as he looks down at the beautiful brunette. _

_"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," Damon smirks but in reality, he is telling the truth. Both of their pasts are unknown to each other. They talked on their date but she doesn't know everything and neither does he, both of them holding pain filled pasts that aren't always easy to share. _

_"Like what? You're a serial killer who keeps a clown suit in your car?" Elena raises her eyebrow as she looks at the man, a witty smile shown on her face._

_Laughing, Damon's head falls back as he tenses his jaw. "Maybe, you never know." Damon jokes before looking over to his brother, the young man talking with Caroline. "Looks like your friend is going in for the kill again." _

_"She's not like that." Elena rolls her eyes at his comment as she defends her friend. Sure, Caroline is flirtatious, but that is simply her personality._

_"You sure about that?" Damon looks over at the brunette, his eyebrows raised wittily. "I think I am correct when I say she was flirting the first time she met me too." Damon proves his point as he laughs, tipping the red, alcohol-filled cup into his mouth. _

_Rolling her eyes at his sarcasm, Elena shakes her head as she looks up at Damon. "Can you blame her?" Elena questions as Damon's head snaps to the woman, her hidden compliment vibrating through him as he lustfully stares at the girl._

_Elena doesn't look at Damon though, the girl nervously tense around him. "And as for Stefan, your brothers pretty hot so..." Elena proves her point as she smiles, knowing her statement will make Damon squirm. _

_Wide-eyed, Damon stares at the girl with a humorous smile on his face. "Did you really just call my brother hot?" Damon laughs as he views the smirking girl. _

_"Maybe, what you gonna do about it?" Elena turns as she looks up into his dreamy blue eyes, tantalizing him as she swifts her hair back. The girl looks breathtakingly sexy, every man at the party wishing they were Damon._

_Shaking his head, Damon finds it hard to resist the gorgeous woman as he feels her body against his. He then pulls her closer as she stares up at him, the girl looking up to meet his taller stance as his hand rests on her lower back._

_Their breathing is heavy as Elena leans closer to him, their lips almost touching before a bunch of guys suddenly start yelling, ruining the moment as Elena looks to the left. _

_"Elena, come on." Caroline then speaks up as Damon and Elena both look at the frenetic blonde. Damon's hand still lingers on her waist, her body still pressed up against his._

_"Okay." Elena nods as Damon slides his hand off of her body, sighing as he tries to get a hold of himself. Damon finds it hard though as she looks at him, the girl noticing the great effect she has on him. "Come on." Elena grabs his hand as they make their way to the bonfire, everyone crowding around with a beer in their hands. Surprisingly, the cops never busted them, most of the college students under twenty-one. _

_"One minute," Damon whispers into Elena's ear under the loud voices as he walks over to his brother. The two boys talk for a moment and as they do Tyler suddenly appears behind Elena._

_"Hey." Tyler breathes into Elena's ear as she jumps, stunned by his sudden close proximity. Turning around, Elena then views the smirking guy. _

_"Oh my gosh, Tyler you scared me." Elena gasps as she rests her hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. _

_"Sorry, so you and Damon huh?" Tyler questions as he stands in front of the annoyed girl._

_"I don't know, but after how you treated Caroline I don't want to talk to you." Elena shakes her head, declining any conversation that he wants to have as she tries to walk past him._

_"Oh come on. I see the way you look at me." Tyler ogles the confused girl, his dark brown eyes peering into hers as he grabs her arm._

_"Excuse me?" Elena is taken back by his statement as she shakes her head. "You're drunk Tyler." Elena rolls her eyes as he stands arrogantly, the girl trying to pull her arm away as he grips it tightly. _

_"Don't lie, Elena. I know that you do, so stop hanging around that asshole when you could have me." Tyler takes a lubricious step towards the girl, Elena stepping back as she squirms out of his grasp. _

_"Tyler stop, you're drunk." Elena puts her hand up, but that doesn't stop the young man as he grabs her waist. Pulling her into him, Tyler then precedes to try and kiss the girl as he bends down. Elena snaps her head to the side in response as she tries to push him away. "Tyler stop!" Elena yells as his hands drift towards her ass, Elena moving furiously in his grasp. _

_Looking over to see who screamed, Damon then notices Elena, her body being touched in ways that make him seethe with anger. Damon's jaw tenses protectively as he sprints up to the girl in a matter of seconds._

_"Come on El-" Tyler slurs out as he caresses the disgusted brunette, but before he can finish his sentence Damon grabs onto his shoulder roughly. _

_Elena gasps as Damon suddenly tears Tyler off of her, the girl still appalled by Tyler's earlier behavior as the young man falls to the ground._

_"Get the fuck off her." Damon seethes dangerously as Tyler stumbles back up to his feet. Damon's blue eyes are fuming with anger as he looks down at the jerk who touched Elena. _

_"The fuck you say to me?" Tyler steps up to the dark-haired guy, looking him up and down as if to measure his masculinity. _

_Laughing dryly, Damon bites his lip as he watches the immature yet arrogant eighteen-year-old. This boy actually thinks he can beat him, Damon thought. _

_"That's right, walk away buddy." Tyler breathes out with his head cocked to the side, everyone's eyes falling to the tumultuous sight as Elena stands nervously beside them. _

_Damon's smirk then transforms into an evil glare as his jaw tenses. Swinging his fist back, Damon launches a forceful punch right into Tyler's jaw as everyone gasps. Tyler stumbles to the ground as he takes the abrupt hit while Elena is horrified, the young woman gasping as she brings her hands up to cover her mouth._

_Damon then looks over at the brunette, glancing her up and down in order to make sure she is alright before Tyler suddenly punches him back. Damon's face launches to the side as his lip splits open, Tyler's punch having a great effect on Damon's face._

_"Damon!" Elena yells out, afraid that he is hurt as she clutches her hands to her mouth. _

_"You son of a bitch." Damon breathes out before launching at Tyler one more time, placing his fist directly into the boy's jaw as Tyler falls to the ground defeatedly. "Don't touch her again, you hear me?" Damon tells Tyler as the defeated boy clutches his stomach, gasping for air. _

_Elena stands beside them completely shocked as everyone else stares, whispering about what they're seeing. _

_"Damon, Damon," Elena calls out to the young man as his eyes drift to her, a bruise already beginning to appear on the right side of his jaw. "Come on, let's go." Elena nods towards where the cars are parked as he nods too, walking with the girl as everyone around them whispers. _

_"Are you okay?" Damon questions worriedly as his eyes glance over the girl, deep concern exiting his voice as blood seeps from his now wounded lip. _

_"Am I okay? Are you okay?" Elena questions, not caring about herself as she rests her hand on his wounded jaw. Flinching, Damon's eyes hold a sense of pain as Elena touches him. "Oh my god, let's get you cleaned up."_

_"Elena I'm fine." Damon shakes his head as the girl walks over to his car and away from the party that was supposed to be fun. _

_"No, you're not." Elena shakes her head as Damon approaches the girl, his eyes still drifting over her body as he wipes the blood away with his hand. _

_"Are you sure you're okay?" Damon questions as they both stop in front of his car, away from everyone else. _

_"I'm okay." Elena nods as he runs his hand over her arm, Elena realizing that he might actually care about her. "I can't believe you did that." _

_Shaking his head, Damon isn't sure of what to say because honestly, he can't believe he did that either. But he cares, he really cares for some damn reason. _

_"Damon," Elena shakes her head as she takes notice of his wounded jaw and bleeding lip. "I am so sorry." _

_"Don't apologize, but I think I'm going to go home," Damon tells the nodding girl as he looks down at her. "You want to come?" Damon questions as Elena nods, the girl wanting to be with him as Damon looks to the lake. "I'll just text Stefan, come on." Damon nods as he opens the passenger door, waiting for her to get in._

Present Day

Elena opens her car door, walking across the trafficless road and into the urban restaurant. "Hi, I'm meeting a friend." Elena smiles at the receptionist before catching a view of her blonde best friend sitting at a table in the back.

Waving to the brunette, Caroline rises out of her chair as Elena runs up to her. "Hey, babe." Caroline wraps her arms around Elena as they hug, the two girls not seeing each other for quite a while.

"I missed you." Elena pulls away as she views the curly haired blonde.

"Me too." Caroline breathes out before sitting down across from Elena, an overjoyed grin placed on the blonde's face.

"What?" Elena questions her friend's overwhelming happiness as Caroline bites her lip, nervously waiting to tell the brunette her exciting news. "Caroline What?" Elena questions again, her eyes wide as she waits for Caroline to tell her.

Not being able to take her excitement, Caroline then lifts her left hand, the glimmering diamond shining as it rests on her ring finger.

Gasping, Elena brings her hands up to her mouth as her eyes widen. "Oh my god Care, is that what I think it is?" Elena reaches over the table as she grabs the woman's hand, the gorgeous ring flashing its beauty at Elena.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! And I wanted to tell you so badly but I didn't want to do it over the phone and Stefan and I have been keeping it on the down low but-"

"When? When did this happen? When did he ask you?" Elena questions, her eyes wide as she looks at the ring on Caroline's finger.

"Like a week ago. I know that's awhile but I wanted to tell you in person." Caroline smiles as she watches the brunette, waiting for her reaction.

"Oh my god Care." Elena smiles as tears begin to flood her brown eyes. "You're getting married."

"I'm getting married!" Caroline squeals, her blue eyes now filled with tears also as the two women stare at one another. "I can't believe it." Caroline shakes her head as she looks down at the ring.

"I can, you and Stefan are made for each other." Elena smiles weakly as she takes a sip of water, a flush of unwanted sadness running through the brunette.

"Just like you and-" Caroline begins to speak before she closes her mouth, catching her own mistake as Elena's eyes fall. "Lena I'm so sorry I didn't mean-"

"Just like me and Damon?" Elena questions as Caroline shakes her head, both of the women not knowing what to say as they sit in uncomfortable silence. Once upon a time, yes, Damon and Elena were made for each other. But now? Now she feels like she couldn't be further away from him. A part of her wishes she could start over. A part of her wishes she could change the past. All of the tragedy, all of the pain, all of it included Damon. But more importantly, it included Elena. She did it, she's the reason she can no longer see him, touch him, feel him, _love _him. For years she didn't accept that, but now she does, now she knows what she let slip away.

_Six years ago_

_Damon unlocks the apartment door as Elena waits, the girl's eyes taking in the luxurious building._

_"So you obviously don't live on campus." Elena takes notice of the more than expensive building as Damon shrugs, opening the door to a breathtaking apartment. _

_"I get good grades and stay out of the way and in return, my dad pays my rent," Damon tells a wide-eyed Elena as she looks around. The apartment is small but gorgeous. The kitchen is dark brown, the counters black granite. The living room is small and yet luxurious, the black leather couch sitting on top of the tan rug. _

_"Oh my god, this is something." Elena takes in the more than an expensive apartment as she looks around. "And what do you mean to stay out of the way?" Elena questions Damon's words as he sets his keys down onto the counter. _

_"It doesn't matter." Damon shakes his head as he walks over to the stainless steel fridge, pulling out a glass as he fills it with cool water._

_Elena is intrigued as she shakes her head, wanting him to let her in. "You know you should really ice your face." Elena walks up to Damon, the boy tense as he drinks the water. His jaw is already bruising as Elena walks over to his freezer, the girl searching for a pack of ice. _

_"Elena I'm fine, this isn't the first time I got into a fight." Damon shrugs it off like it is nothing as she walks back over to him with a pack of ice in her hand. "Elena seriously." _

_"Damon just sit down." Elena grabs his bicep, the muscle beneath her hand surprising her as she leads him towards the living room. _

_"Are you always like this?" Damon questions the kind human being as he sits down, the girl kneeling down in front of him as she smiles._

_"Am I always a nice person? Yes to people who deserve it." Elena smiles as she takes the ice, holding the clothed pack up to his jaw as he flinches._

_"And I deserve it?" Damon smirks as Elena shakes her head at his wittiness._

_"Maybe." Elena smiles, her brown eyes connecting with his as she kneels down, her body relaxing between his legs. "What did you mean? When you were talking about your father." Elena questions, her brown eyes wide as she waits for him to answer. _

_"Elena I-"_

_"You don't have to tell me, I get it." Elena smiles, allowing him to keep his secrets as his jaw tenses. _

_"No it's okay, I'll tell you." Damon nods, her stunning beauty affecting him as he questions why she is wasting her time with a guy like him. "My parents are divorced, they got divorced when I was fifteen. But I really didn't care because my dad is a power hungry drunk. But he's rich so he pays for this." Damon shrugs as he looks around at the luxurious apartment. _

_"Do you ever see him?" Elena questions as she looks at him sincerely. _

_"Sometimes, I'm interning at his company this summer but I don't plan on seeing him too much. When I was younger it was mostly my mom who raised us, he was there for a while but he wasn't actually there. He worked a lot and then she left him. I can't blame her." _

_"She left him?"_

_"Yeah, she moved out and we just figured it out from there. And then three years later she got lymphoma." Damon shakes his head, not understanding why the world could be so cruel to his poor mother. _

_"I am so sorry Damon." Elena shakes her head, the selfless girl feeling for him as a smile creeps onto Damon's lips. _

_"You know I've never met a girl like you." Damon shakes his head as he runs his hand over her arm, feeling at her soft skin as she cocks her head to the side._

_"What do you mean?" Elena blushes. _

_"Well, I've never punched a guy for a girl so that's something," Damon smirks as Elena shakes her head, the girl feeling awful about that situation._

_"Damon I'm so sorry about that." _

_"Don't you dare say sorry. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you." Damon tells her as he grabs her body, pulling the girl into him as she smiles. Sitting up, Elena drops the ice pack to the ground as she straddles the insanely hot young man. Looking lustfully at one another, Damon can't resist as his eyes drop down to her lips. His hands travel to the back of her hips as Elena lifts up, the girl not being able to take it as she guides her hand across the back of his neck. Dropping down, Elena connects her lips with his as both of their eyes flutter shut. _

_"Ahh." Elena breathes out slowly as Damon kisses her neck, making the girl slowly lose it as her head falls back. His touches electrify her as she holds onto his neck, his dark hair breezing past her fingertips as she sits on top of him. His hands then slowly lead to the ends of her shorts as he unclasps the button. "Wait, Damon." Elena stops him breathlessly as he looks up, detaching his lips from her neck._

_"What?"_

_"I just, I've only been with one other guy and I-"_

_"It's okay, we don't have to do anything," Damon assures the nervous girl as he smiles, running his hand over her warm cheek. He will wait, for her, he would do anything. _

_Elena nods silently as she watches him, the young man surprising her every time she sees him. Every minute she spends with him is a minute he makes her like him even more, the young woman realizing that he is not the asshole he appears to be. _

_"You want to stay over?" Damon questions her as he holds her close to him, his hands still resting on her hips. _

_"Sure." Elena nods as he suddenly picks her up, Elena squealing as her legs wrap around his waist. The young man carries her into his bedroom before dropping her to the bed, her euphonious laugh filling the silent room. Elena lays on the bed as she stares up at him from across the dimly lit room. The comforter is white as Elena rises, looking at Damon as he digs through the dark brown dresser. _

_"You want a shirt?" Damon looks back at the girl as she smiles._

_"Yeah." Elena nods as he throws her one of his shirts, the girl catching the soft shirt as she lifts her own clothing over her body. Damon can't help but watch as she takes her white shirt off, exchanging it for the larger one he gave her. _

_Damon shakes his head as he views her, the man wanting her desperately as she pulls her denim shorts off. _

_"What?" Elena questions under his staring gaze as she looks around, the girl embarrassed. _

_"Nothing." Damon shakes his head as he pulls his shirt over his body, the young man smirking arrogantly as he removes his pants also. "Don't worry, I won't take them off," Damon smirks, flicking back his boxer line as it snaps against his skin._

_Elena rolls her eyes at his arrogance but bites her lip none the less as she pulls her long hair into a ponytail. "You are too much." Elena shakes her head as Damon climbs into bed, grabbing the girl's waist as he kisses her once more. _

_"Alright, I am going to stop now or else I am going to have an extremely difficult time not touching you." Damon pulls away from her as Elena smiles, the girl's doe eyes weakening him as he shakes his head. _

_The two people then lie down quietly for a moment, Elena laying beside him as she gazes at him. _

_"Why are you staring at me?" Damon looks over as he opens his eye lightly, the girl smiling as he does. _

_"I'm just thinking."_

_"About what?" Damon questions, still not looking at the girl as he closes his exhausted eyes. _

_"Nothing." Elena shakes her head as Damon pulls at her waist. Elena's head rests on his shirtless chest, her arm resting on his abdomen while his arm is wrapped around her body. _

_"Goodnight." Damon then moves against her as his eyes flutter shut. Elena doesn't sleep though because she realizes how much he actually means to her. At first, Elena thought he was a jerk who only wanted to get into her pants, but now? Now she finds herself wanting him in ways she never wanted anybody. Now she finds herself nervous to let him in because if she does, she is afraid sh__e will fall in so deep to the point of no return._

**AN: AHHH I love this chapter! I hope you readers enjoyed it and let me know what you think of it and if you have any questions. Anyway, I hope you are all having a great day and that life is going good. I'm excited to keep unraveling this story and please LEAVE A REVIEW and have a good day! **


	7. Beneath the Stars

_...And should we ever_

_find our way back_

_to each other,_

_we will lay beneath the stars _

_and pick down_

_the ones we like best._

-_Beau Taplin_

Damon sits in the living room, his daughter watching Disney channel while he handles his emails.

"Dad, look!" Isabella calls out, the young girl pointing to the screen as Damon looks to the television.

"Yeah." Damon nods as if he is excited before the doorbell suddenly rings to life. Rising off of the couch, Damon strolls over towards the apartment door.

"Hey bro." Stefan smiles, Damon's younger brother appearing on the other side of the door as Damon opens it.

"Hey man," Damon smirks, pulling his brother into a manly hug as Stefan steps inside.

"Uncle Stef!" Isabella then shouts from across the room, her bare feet hitting the floor as she sprints over to where the two men stand.

"Ahh, if it isn't my favorite girl in the world." Stefan bends down as Isabella runs into the young man's arms, Stefan standing back up with her in his grasp.

"I missed you." Isabella smiles, the young girl showing the deep affection she holds for her uncle.

"I missed you more." Stefan kisses the young girl on the cheek as she squirms, the young man tickling her side before setting her back down to her feet.

"I'll be back." Isabella nods sternly, her blue eyes serious as she turns to run away. Her brunette hair sways as she runs quickly, momentum catching up with her as the air breezes by her body.

"Well, she's still energetic." Stefan laughs as he watches the young girl, Damon watching her too before the two men look to each other.

"Always," Damon nods before both of the men head towards the kitchen. "So how have you been?" Damon looks to his brother as he rests his elbows on the kitchen counter, the faint noise of the television sounding through the apartment.

"Good, good. Caroline and I got in yesterday." Stefan tells Damon as an uncontrollable smile begins to appear on the secretive man's face.

"What?" Damon questions, his eyes narrow and his brows furrowed as he watches his alarmingly quiet brother.

"I have to tell you something." Stefan rests his hand on the table too as Damon stands up straight, the man waiting nervously for his brother's announcement.

"Okay?"

"I asked Caroline to marry me and she said yes." Stefan unveils his secret as Damon's blue eyes go wide, the man incredibly surprised.

"Holy shit Stef." Damon shakes his head, the news still sinking into the man's brain. His shock then turns into happiness as he smiles, the man deeply proud of his younger brother.

"I know, it's a lot." Stefan nods as Damon walks over, wrapping his arms around Stefan.

"Congratulations bro," Damon smirks, hugging his brother as he takes in the news. His brother is getting married before him. That statement hits Damon like a truck because four years ago he imagined his whole life too, the man not knowing what the future actually held. At twenty, he met the girl of his dreams and he fell madly in love. At twenty-one, he was shaken to his core because he had to grow up. At twenty-two, he was brought into the world of fatherhood, the young man believing that he would spend the rest of life with his two girls. At twenty-three, the fights began, success dividing a wedge between the two people. And at twenty-four, both Damon and Elena made mistakes that determined their future, the two people shaping their world into something they never imagined. And at twenty-five, they no longer even lived together, both of them too stubborn to admit their wrongdoings. Maybe it is because they were so young, life happening to them at full speed. Because at twenty-six, Damon stands here, hugging his engaged younger brother while his four-year-old daughter sits in the living room. Elena isn't here, nor will she be tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. But no matter what happens he will always remember everything she gave him, including that first unforgettable summer.

_Six years ago_

_Elena stands in the kitchen, the girl wearing Damon's T-shirt as she flips pancakes. The morning air brushes through the windows as Elena hums lightly, the girl making breakfast for the still asleep man. _

_"Elena?" Damon questions as he walks out of the hallway, looking from right to left for the girl. "I thought you might have left." Damon walks out of the hall, grey sweatpants hanging low on his waist as his imperfect and yet perfect abs entice the young woman. _

_"Nope." Elena shakes her head as comes closer towards her. Flinching, Elena then quakes as Damon comes up from behind her, his hands sliding over her waist. _

_"You are so beautiful," Damon whispers into her ear as he tucks his face into her neck, the young man kissing her skin lightly as she still holds the spatula. _

_Dazed, Elena falls back against his larger body. Last night marked the first night she ever spent here and as much as she wanted him, Elena didn't feel ready. Throughout her whole life, Elena only slept with one boy. But Matt isn't Damon, no one is quite like Damon. And a part of her is scared, scared that she won't live up to his expectation, scared that she can't compare to the other girls he's been with. Damon intimidates Elena, but he makes her feel alive. He simply awakens the girl, the man showing her the adventurous side of life._

_"You know I have a writing class today, I really shouldn't be here," Elena tells him as he continues to kiss her, the girl's attention divided between him and what she is saying. _

_"A writing class huh? Can I come?" Damon smirks as he tugs at her top, Elena jumping slightly as his cold hands touch her bare stomach. _

_"No." Elena shakes her head, a cute smile plastered across her face as Damon turns her chin to the left with one finger. _

_"No? I'm sorry I don't know that word." Damon smirks before catching her lips with his, the girl moaning sweetly against his mouth as he deepens the kiss. Her beauty drives him crazy, never has a woman made his head spin quite like Elena Gilbert. _

_"Damon," Elena shakes her head as he shuts off the stove, removing the spatula from her hand as he places it on the counter._

_"Come here." Damon turns the beautiful girl so that she is facing him as he wraps his arms around her, kissing her lips as her hands fall to his chest._

_"I really should go."_

_"Fine, what time does it end?"_

_"Pick me up at seven." Elena grabs his neck, standing on her tippy toes as she kisses the happy young man once more. "And by the way, what are you planning on doing all summer?" Elena questions as she pulls away, her hands still resting on his neck as he looks down at her passionately._

_"You," Damon answers smoothly, a blush creeping onto Elena's cheeks as he does. _

_"Damon, I mean really." _

_"I'm taking an internship at my dad's business," Damon tells her, rolling his eyes back as he speaks of it. _

_"That sounds fun, maybe you could spend a little more time with him," Elena tells him, her voice light and hopeful as Damon shakes his head._

_"I'd rather die than spend time with that asshole," Damon swears, Elena realizing the hostile relationship Damon and his father share. _

_"I'm sorry." Elena shakes her head because at times she understood. For years she had to take care of herself, Grayson not willing to step up to the plate after losing his precious wife. People may say he was a coward or a bad father, but in reality, he was just hurt. After losing his wife, Elena's father couldn't keep it together. And she didn't blame him, she still doesn't. _

_"It's okay, so I'll pick you up at seven." _

_"Yep."_

Present Day

Elena walks through the double doors, needing a drink after her long day full of conferences and meetings. Her manager currently occupies the position of begging Elena to write another novel, begging her to write anything. And Elena tries, she desperately tries, but the words never come. So with that, Elena has now subsided to alcohol for a slight dose of comfort. She never drank, but sometimes a glass of wine didn't hurt.

"Hi." Elena sits on the barstool, the bartender looking at the stunning brunette with narrow eyes.

"I'm going to need to see an ID." The man holds out his hand as Elena rummages through her purse, searching for her ID.

Looking through her whole purse, Elena then realizes that she does not have her ID. "Look," Elena looks up, her brown eyes meeting the bartenders as he shakes his head.

"I'm sorry but I can't serve you if you don't have an ID." The bartender shrugs casually as he wipes down the bar with the grey rag.

"I'm twenty-four, I'm a mom for god's sake," Elena explains her situation to the hard-eyed bartender who is not budging for anyone.

"I'm sorry but no I-" The bartender goes on but his voice fades away as Elena looks beyond the bar. Sitting at a high stop is Damon, and not just Damon but a woman too. A beautiful, tall, light brown-haired woman. Elena's eyes can't seem to fall from the sight as she watches them, the pair clearly on a date. His smile is wide as she speaks, the woman clearly making him laugh. A blush creeps onto the woman's face as he gazes at her, the unfamiliar woman consumed by those blue eyes. Elena was once consumed too, in fact, a part of her still is. The part of her that still does now comes out, sadness controlling her body as she looks down. He's done it, he's moved on. She always knew he would, someday, but a part of her never wanted to see him with another woman. A part of her thought that she was his forever.

_Six years ago_

_"Where are you taking me, Salvatore?" Elena looks over at the man, her brown eyes full of amusement as she views the smirking man._

_"Do you like stars?" Damon questions, his smirk so damn arrogant and yet so damn sexy as Elena swallows down her lust._

_"Who doesn't?" She answers his question with a question as his eyes drop to her lips, the boy unable to resist the beautiful young woman too._

_"Well, that's where I'm taking you." Damon turns, the young man stepping on the gas as they drive through the sunset._

_"You're taking me to the stars?"_

_Damon then looks over, a wicked smirk plastered across his face as he glances her up and down. The silky black dress she wears is thin, the cotton clothing barely covering her tanned thighs. _

_"You know you can't walk around in a dress like that when I'm not allowed to touch you," Damon tells her, Elena's eyes snapping to him as he speaks. _

_Breathing slowly, Elena watches as he looks over, a cheeky grin displayed on his handsome face. "I never said you weren't allowed to, just not yet." Elena answers._

_"Well, what if I can't wait?"_

_"Trust me, I'm worth waiting for." Elena answers confidently, the brunette's eyebrow raised wittily as Damon chuckles._

_"You don't think I know that?" Damon questions as she smirks, the girl knowing how sexy she is. _

_Elena then turns up the radio dial as the music sounds through the silent car. The warm, night air flies by the girl as she rests her head on the rim of the open window. Her brown eyes are soft as she watches the trees past by. Startling the young woman, Damon then slips his hand over her exposed thigh. Elena's dress barely reaches her knees as the material rises, Elena watching him touch her. Her breath gets caught in her throat as his hand slips towards the inside of her thigh, his fingers playing with the end of her black dress delicately. _

_Damon smirks as he looks to the right, the young man noticing the effect he has on Elena. But honestly, he is convinced that she has an even greater effect on him._

_Shortly after, Damon pulls into the grassy lot. __Opening his door, Damon gets out of the car as he heads towards the front of the Camaro. The hill overlooks all of campus as Elena gets out too. _

_"Come here." Damon sits on the edge of the blue Camaro as his eyes trail the brunette. Gleaming, bright stars shine through the dark night as Elena makes her way towards the dark-haired man. They both sit on the front of the car as they look up, the two people watching the shining stars. _

_"Wanna play a game?" Elena turns to face him, a cute smile shown on her face._

_"A game?" Damon looks over at her, his eyes wide as dirty thoughts creep into his corrupted mind. Watching him, Elena immediately slaps his arm as she shakes her head._

_"Not that type of game, a getting to know each other game."_

_"Okay, this should be fun." Damon grins as he leans against the car, his hands resting behind him. _

_"Okay so question one, I know you grew up here but why didn't you venture off to New York like your brother?"_

_"Argh, they're serious questions?" Damon groans as Elena rolls her eyes at his babyish behavior. _

_"Just answer," _

_"Okay fine, after high school, I just figured Whitmore would be cool. I've always liked it here and thought it would be nice to just live on my own." Damon answers as Elena nods. "Okay, now my turn, what's underneath that black dress?" _

_"Damon!" Elena scolds him as she laughs, the girl pulling her dress down as he laughs too. His mind is always in the gutter, isn't it? _

_"Just answer," Damon repeats Elena's previous words as she shakes her head._

_"I guess you'll never know," Elena speaks lowly. Her voice is sassy and seductive as Damon bites his lip wantingly. Looking down at her mouth, Damon tries to resist kissing her. _

_"Okay fine, and this is a serious question. You told me that you have only been with one guy. Who is that one guy?" Damon asks her seriously, a form of wonder and jealousy evident in his husky voice. _

_Surprised by his question, Elena loses her words for a moment. "Umm his name is Matt."_

_"Matt?"_

_"I dated him for two years but we have known each other forever." Elena shrugs as she turns her brown eyes to the narrow-eyed man. _

_"What went wrong?" Damon questions, his voice full of intrigue. _

_"Umm, I don't know. I guess we just grew apart."_

_"Grew apart? Come on, what's the real reason?" Damon nudges her, the young man wanting her to spill the truth. _

_"We just," Elena gives in, the girl rolling her eyes at his persistent behavior as she begins to explain her former relationship. "Matt and I were just simple. We didn't-We didn't have any-any-"_

_"Passion?" Damon questions huskily as his eyes focus on her soft lips. Looking at him, Elena's gaze then falls to his enticing lips as well. The lust hanging between the two people is heavy and uncontrollable as Elena scoots closer to the sexy young man. _

_"No, we didn't have passion." Elena shakes her head while her eyes still remain focused on his lips. Damon's pinky then gently caresses hers as he scoots closer to her. His breath brushes across her soft cheek as Elena gulps, the girl trying to shut down her burning, sexual desire._

_"Anyway, how about you?" Elena questions as she blinks once, the girl breathless after their passionate gaze. "I assume there is more than one girl." _

_"Maybe, but none of them are quite like you Gilbert," Damon smirks, the young man noticing her breathless behavior. _

_"You're such a liar." Elena shakes her head. "Tell me, have you ever had a real, stable relationship?" _

_"Real? Yes. Stable? God no." Damon chuckles as he reflects back on his past. _

_Cocking her head to the side, Elena is officially intrigued. "Okay, who is this girl?"_

_"Katherine, she was my high school girlfriend." Damon shrugs as he looks up at the star-filled sky. "But it was mostly a sex thing. I didn't think that at the time, hell I thought I was in love with her, but it turns out I was only in love with having sex with her so-" Damon shrugs nonchalantly, the man not showing an ounce of affection._

_"So what's real about that?" Elena asks, her eyes narrow as she questions his intentions. _

_"What's not real about that? I was faithful to her. I took her out. I had sex with her." Damon shrugs, the wide-eyed man not understanding the unconvinced brunette. _

_"Damon that's not a real relationship."_

_"Then what is?"_

_"A real relationship is when you love spending time with someone just as much as you love sleeping with them. Sex isn't everything Damon." Elena tells him, her eyes serious as his eyes fall. Turns out, Elena teaches him just as much as he teaches her. _

_"Maybe you're right," Damon speaks to her huskily, his eyes serious and significant. "Then I guess you've never had a real relationship either."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Well, I think that this Matt guy only gave you one of those two things," Damon speaks seductively as he runs his hand over her waist, the man pulling the woman into him. _

_"And what's that?" _

_"You know what," Damon smirks, the man winking at the girl as she shakes her head. _

_"Let's stop talking." Elena laughs as she lays down, the girl looking up at him with her doe, brown eyes as she rests her head on the car. _

_Chuckling, Damon gives in as he lays down too. He moves the girl slightly so that he is beneath her, the girl's head resting on his chest as he holds her against him. His arm is wrapped tightly around the woman as she runs her hand across his soft shirt-covered abs. The stars move across the sky, one by one, but all Elena can feel is his arm wrapped around her. All she can notice is his heart beating beneath her ear, his tight abs hiding beneath his shirt, his blue eyes staring down at her as she tries to focus on the sky. _

Present Day

Elena stands as she watches Damon through the dim bar light. His hand is enclosed inside the woman's and a smile is shown across his face. A true smile, a smile that Elena loves dearly. That smile weakened her six years ago and it weakens her now.

At the moment, Damon is most likely making an inappropriate joke that causes the woman to roll her eyes but also causes her to fall for him none the less. His sexy, dark hair and dreamy, blue eyes are most likely wowing the woman. And he is most likely being swept in by her as well, by the looks of it, his eyes are solely focused on the unknown woman sitting across from him. Perhaps he is just trying to sleep with the woman. Perhaps he is faking his lust. Or maybe he isn't, maybe he likes her, maybe he is finally moving on. Maybe he no longer sees Elena everywhere he goes. Maybe his eyes have found a new home. Maybe, maybe, maybe. But through everything, Elena still wishes him all of the happiness in the world. And as she watches him now, she realizes that there is nothing more she wants than his happiness. Because that smile, _his _smile, is a sight she never wants to see fade away. Maybe someday she will be the one to make him smile again. Until then, Elena decides to walk out of the bar, alone. But she isn't alone because no matter what happens they will always be the ones who showed each other what a _real _relationship is. And like a flower, somethings can still blossom even after a cold winter.

**Thank you for reading. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I am super busy with school but once I'm out I will be writing chapters for all of my stories. LEAVE A REVIEW and have a nice day!**


	8. Besides That One Night

**I'm back! Here's another Delena-****filled chapter. The whole chapter kind of focuses on one scene but it's important to the rest of their relationship. Hope you enjoy!**

_The worst feeling_

_Is feeling unwanted_

_By the person you_

_Want the most._

Elena enters the Forbes' home as she closes the door behind her. Caroline and Liz are sitting at the counter as Caroline flashes her new engagement ring.

"Elena, honey!" Liz, Caroline's mother, calls out to the brunette as she enters the kitchen.

"Hi,"

"How are you? Is Caroline driving you crazy too?" Liz giggles, the woman humorously toying with her daughter as Caroline rolls her blue eyes.

"I just can't believe that it's all happening already. I mean look at us, I am getting married and Elena you have a child." Caroline shakes her head, her blue eyes wide as she thinks about where they are now versus six years ago.

_Six years ago_

_"So you didn't sleep with him?" _

_"No, I never slept with him," Elena answers her curious friend as Caroline searches for details about Damon and Elena._

_"Why not? Girl likes boy, boy likes girl, sex! That's the answer!" _

_"No Care, it's not. I want to trust him."_

_"And you don't?" Caroline questions, her voice dropping to a more serious, meaningful tone._

_"I mean I do but..." Elena shakes her head, the girl not knowing why she finds it hard to trust Damon. "He's kind of... scary."_

_"What? Did he do something to you? Did he say something? Oh my god, Elena." Caroline begins to freak out before Elena can elaborate on her words._

_"No, no, no Care. It's not like that. He's just different than Matt and the other guys I used to go for."_

_"Good different?"_

_"I don't know." Elena looks up at Caroline, obvious trepidation in the brunette's voice. "I trust him, I do. But at the same time, how do I know he doesn't do this with every other girl? How do I know that he isn't just luring me in and buttering me up with all of these compliments only to ditch me? I am not getting hurt over some asshole and we both know that he is an asshole. He winks at girls every other way and since I am not giving it to him he is obviously getting sex from other girls. We both know that he is the last thing I need." _

_"Elena, every college guy is like that. He's a flirt, so what? What about the lake or his apartment or the stars? Honestly, I don't think you're scared of him; I think you're scared of falling for him." _

_"Please, so we've made out a couple of times. I'm not falling for him." Elena shakes her head, the girl rolling her eyes in disbelief. _

_"You know what they say, denying the truth doesn't change the facts," Caroline smirks, the girl knowing the brunette better then she herself does. _

_"Shut up," Elena rolls her eyes as she throws the pillow at Caroline's head jokingly. _

_"Ow," Caroline slaps the pillow away before perking up once again. "So, are we still going to Tyler's?"_

_"Argh no, no more parties!"_

_"Sucks, cause I'm going and you know who else is going? Damon." Caroline winks at Elena as the brunette rolls her eyes._

_As Caroline leaves to the bathroom, Elena glances at her cellphone._

_Damon: hey hot stuff ;)_

_Elena smirks before her fingers begin to type back a reply. _

_Elena: hey_

_Damon: So I have a proposition for you._

_Elena: and what's that?_

_Damon: Choice number one: you go to that lame party with Caroline. Choice number two: you let me take you out._

_Elena bites her lip, the girl is hesitant. And he knows it too because she takes a while to respond._

_Damon: still there? _

_Elena: Okay, fine, I'm in. Where are we going?_

_Damon: Do you have a fake I.D.?_

_Laughing dryly at his words, Elena shakes her head._

_Elena: No, Damon, I do not have a fake I.D._

_Damon: Okay, that's okay. I'll get you one. Be ready by nine._

_Elena: That's all your telling me?_

_Damon: That's all you need to know... ;) it'll be fun, trust me._

_Yeah, trust him? Elena isn't so sure that she can. _

Present Day

Elena watches as Caroline types on the computer, the blonde already more than invested in wedding planning.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my soon to be sister-in-law," Damon smirks as Stefan and he appears in the doorway.

"You're here!" Caroline jumps up out of her seat on the couch as she pulls Stefan into a tight embrace. The blonde then acknowledges Damon before going right back to Stefan. The pair's eyes never leave each other as Caroline drops down to kiss Stefan's open mouth.

"Hey," Elena smiles as Damon strolls over towards her, the girl cozily snuggled into the couch.

"Hey back," Damon smirks, that smirk that he has perfectly perfected at this point and butterflies erupt in Elena's stomach.

"So I'm guessing Stefan told you the big news?" Elena giggles as she watches Caroline kiss Stefan.

"Yep, but I doubt he was as excited as she was when she told you." Damon chuckles as he pokes fun at the blonde once again.

"Probably not," Elena giggles and Damon can't help but smile as she does. That laugh is everything.

"How's publishing going?" Damon rests his arm behind his head as he gets comfortable beside the brunette.

"Horrible," Elena sighs as she reveals the truth to him. "My agent and everyone at that stupid publishing company are changing everything. Everything I write they hate and if they like it I hate it."

"Sounds about right," Damon smirks. "Well, think about your first book. When you wrote that..."

"When I wrote that I was young and dumb and in love." Elena shakes her head as she reflects on the first book she published; The one that started her whole career as a writer. "When I wrote that, I didn't take no for an answer because those books were a part of me."

"So you just have to find some inspiration again," Damon tells her as Elena nods. "You know I remember when you started writing that book. You never told me about it, so I used to sneak a peek at that green notebook of yours every once and awhile." Damon smirks.

"You did?" Elena gasps, the woman smiling as he does.

"How could I not? You spent every second on that thing. When you were pregnant, I remember trying to sleep but you always couldn't and so I'd just watch you as you'd write all night."

Elena smiles as she thinks back to their memories; memories of her being pregnant. "Hey, you try sleeping when you have a bowling ball attached to your body."

"I never said I was complaining." Damon looks to the left as he views the stunning yet silent brunette.

"You never did complain." Elena smiles as she looks up into his dreamy blue eyes.

"Besides the past two years and that one night," Damon smirks as he mutters out that sentence sarcastically. That one night. Damon thinks back to the night he took her to the club. The night that he thought she slipped through his grasp before he even had her.

"Yeah, that was _some_ night," Elena repeats.

_Six years ago_

_Caroline already left with Bonnie and now Elena is looking herself in the mirror, the girl excited and yet nervous for what Damon has in store for tonight. _

_A knocking sound then sounds through the dorm as Elena walks over towards the door. "Well, hello." _

_"Hey gorgeous," Damon smirks as he rests his weight against the frame of the door. _

_"You want to come in?"_

_Stepping into the apartment, Damon looks around before his eyes fall to Elena. She looks absolutely breathtaking, as always._

_"You look..." Damon trails on as he glances her up and down. "amazing,"_

_"You don't look too bad yourself Salvatore," Elena smirks as his eyes light up with want. His black leather jacket and dark jeans just make Elena even more hesitant as she swallows roughly. This will only end badly for her and that is what terrifies her. But, she is going to go anyway because deep down she craves the adventure that comes along with Damon Salvatore._

_"Shall we go, Elena?" Damon smirks, her name rolling off of his tongue seductively as she shakes her head._

_"And where exactly are we going? You know, I never seem to know with you."_

_"That's the beauty of it." Damon winks as they both travel to his car. The light conversation continues until they reach their destination: a club. Music blasts through the building as Elena smiles, the girl accelerated by the adventure he always seems to bring into her days since she met him. "You good with this Gilbert?"_

_"Hell yeah," Elena smirks as she struts away from him, Damon watching as her ass moves from side to side. Just that motion sends him as he shakes his head, the young man completely mesmerized by her._

_"Wait,"_

_"So where's my I.D.?" Elena smirks._

_"Right here," Damon pulls the card out of his back pocket before handing it to her. Elena glances at it as she feels it between her fingers._

_"Sophie Martin?" Elena reads the name._

_"I couldn't change the name, sorry," Damon smirks as he pulls his out. "If it makes you feel better my name is Mark George tonight."_

_"Well Mark, what did you have to do to get these?"_

_"Please baby, when you got looks like mine you don't need to do shit," Damon smirks as they approach the long line of people waiting to get into the popular nightclub. _

_Elena rolls her eyes at his cockiness but he doesn't see it as they stand in the line. "Too bad your not famous and we could skip through this line." _

_"Watch and learn," Damon smirks once again as they both walk over towards the door. "Hey brother," Damon nods his head towards the club bouncer as he nods back._

_"Damon Salvatore, my man. You know I ain't supposed to let you in here." The unknown black man chuckles as he slaps his hand against Damon's. _

_"Didn't stop you before and besides we have these." Damon slides the club bouncer his fake I.D. as the muscular man chuckles in response. _

_"And who's we?" The bouncer looks over towards Elena as she smiles, the girl standing side by side with Damon. _

_"John this Elena, Elena this is John." Damon nods towards the man as Elena shakes John's hand._

_"It's nice to meet you." _

_"Likewise," John nods his head before looking back to Damon. "and if you tell anybody I let you in with these I am going to be in big trouble."_

_"Thank you man, we won't say a word if you don't." _

_"Okay, have fun." John smiles and chuckles softly as Damon smirks, the young man knowing how good he as at getting what he wants. The club door swings open and Elena feels as if she has entered another universe. _

_"Holy shit," Elena breathes out as dancers dance on high beams. Red and pink flashing lights dance around the large space as intoxicated people sway to the beat of the electrifying music. _

_"Right?" Damon smirks devilishly._

_"You gonna buy me a drink or..." Elena looks over at the handsome dark-haired man as he smirks. _

_"Come on," Damon nods his head towards the bar and once they reach it, people are everywhere. People are shouting orders at the overworked bartender and one person is even yelling with his fist in the air. It was then that Elena noticed Damon's hand roll over her waist, the young man holding her tightly against his hip. And through all the smirks, winks, and flirty comments, this is what made Elena trust him. Deep down Damon is loyal and protective and even selfless at times. Elena just needs to reach that part of him._

_After a while, the two young adults order some shots and Elena is already buzzed. The music washes over their bodies as Elena rests her arms on Damon's shoulders loosely. The pink flashing lights dance across her beautiful olive skin and Damon feels an unsustainable amount of desire wash over him. The way her brunette locks sway to each side. The way her hips rock back and forth. The way her perfectly sculpted breasts bounce slightly when she moves. Everything about Elena Gilbert in this moment screams sex. _

_"Elena," Damon breathes out her name huskily as she turns around, her ass firmly pressed against his dick. And when she starts to move, Damon can't control himself. Taking her hair to one side, Damon kisses her neck while still dancing lightly to the loud music. "We found love" by Rihanna is blasting while Elena and Damon get caught up in the feeling of their bodies so close together. "I need you," Damon whispers into her ear sexily and that is when Elena suddenly pulls away. _

_As if she has come down to reality, Elena shakes her head as she breathes out exasperatedly. _

_"Lena, are you okay?" _

_Elena then swallows roughly as she looks from right to left. People are dealing with drugs in one corner and this whole club stinks of illegal activity. "I think I need some air." Elena looks down at her feet without meeting his focused blue eyes._

_"Okay, I'll come with you."_

_"No, it's okay." Elena turns around before Damon can have another word. Walking out of the club too, Damon follows the girl despite her not wanting him to. _

_"Elena, Elena, Wait!" Damon calls out to the brunette walking ten feet ahead of him. _

_Looking back, Elena shakes her head as he approaches her. _

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing, I'm fine." _

_"I'm not playing this game, Elena, just tell me what I did because obviously, I did something." Damon sighs as he stands in front of the silently nervous brunette. _

_"Damon, I just... I know how you are and I don't know if I can..." Elena leads on as she looks to the right, the girl not being able to look into his blue eyes._

_"Wait, Wait, are you ending whatever the hell this is?" _

_"Damon, I-"_

_"Oh my god, you have got to be kidding." Damon runs his hand through his dark hair as he laughs dryly. Elena stands in front of him as she crosses her arms in front of her chest stubbornly._

_"No, I'm not! What are you doing taking me here? People are dealing ecstasy in there!" Elena screams but deep down she doesn't even care about that. Elena can handle a lot, including drugs and alcohol. But, this is her cover for the real reason why she is backing away. Truth is, he scares her and never had she felt so consumed by one person. And that right there scares her because she knows that if she falls she will fall so hard that there will be no way out. _

_"For fuck's sake Elena! People are going to do what people do. That's the world we live in. I can't stop it! What do you want me to do about it?" _

_"Nothing! But, I know you, I know guys like you and-"_

_"No, stop right there." Damon cuts the brunette off as she stands not even a foot in front of him. His heated breath travels across her cheek as Elena swallows down a lump in her throat. "Don't do that. Don't act like I'm some horrible person when you don't know me. If you think you're better then me then fine! Then fucking leave! You think I give a fuck?" Damon seethes and that right there scares Elena. Because at this moment, he not only looks hurt but he looks fucking pissed._

_"Damon that's not what-"_

_"Isn't it? This whole time you have been questioning every little thing about me, trying to figure me out as if I am some game. Well, Elena, I am not a game! I am a real-life person who wants you, okay? And I think that's why you're pushing me away. I think you're scared of me. I think that you know that you and I have something stronger than anybody else you've ever been with." _

_Swallowing roughly, Elena can't help but watch him as her eyes dart from his eyes to his tensed jaw and then to his lips. _

_"I think that you're scared that we could actually turn into something real." Damon breathes out as Elena takes a step back. "Am I right?" Damon whispers huskily as his voice drops to a more seductive tone. _

_"Maybe, but I'm right too Damon. You can't act like your some innocent guy. We both know I'm not the only girl who you're trying to wrap around your finger. We both know that-"_

_"And there you go again! Making accusations about me. Listen, Elena, I like you, a lot. That's all I'm gonna say because I'm not fighting with you on this. You either trust me or you don't." _

_Shaking her head, Elena looks down to the floor and that's when Damon realizes it. She doesn't trust him._

_"Okay," Damon breathes out as he takes a deep breath. "I'll drive you back home." _

_"You can't you have been drinking."_

_"I had one shot, Elena. I can handle my liquor, and I would never drive unstably with you in the car. It's alright, okay?"_

_"Okay," Elena nods._

_Damon begins to make his way towards the car and Elena follows silently, inwardly cursing at herself for picking a fight before the car ride back. Now she has to sit in a car with him and feel horrible about everything she just said._

_Elena doesn't say anything and neither does he. Both of his hands rest on the wheel, unlike before when one would be dancing around Elena's thigh. The car ride is silent and awkward but right now Elena's thoughts haven't stopped churning in her head. Does she trust him? Is she just scared? And most of all, is he right? _

_Once they pull up to the dorm room building, Elena and Damon sit silently for a moment. Clicking her seatbelt, Elena goes to get out of the car before looking back at the young man. His blue eyes are piercing through her soul and Elena sees something in those eyes, maybe it's lust, or hurt, or even guilt. But instead of saying something or doing something, Elena just gets out of the car and begins to walk back towards the building. Looking back, Elena then notices that his car has already raced down the street. It's over, every adventure, every kiss, every touch is now over. She ended it and for what? Because she is scared of him? Or because she is scared of falling for him? _

Present Day

"I don't even remember what I said." Elena shakes her head as she reflects back on that night.

"Oh, I do." Damon laughs as he thinks back to that night and everything that happened afterward. He remembers how pissed he was, and not at himself but at her. He was pissed that she judged him based on everyone else's opinions but his own.

_Six years ago_

_"Fuck!" Damon yells once he is parked in front of his apartment. Clenching his fists, Damon can feel the anger rushing through his tense body. He doesn't what to be mad. He wants to not care. He wants to say 'fuck Elena' and move on. But he can't and that's the problem. She thinks that he has girls wrapped around his finger? Well, truth is, Elena has him wrapped around her finger. And when she judged him, it stung like hell. His heart felt as if it was clenching and his blood felt as if it was boiling. He was pissed, he is pissed. "Fuck this," Damon breathes out as he opens the car door and heads for his apartment. _

_Thoughts churn in his mind as he places his keys on the kitchen counter. Should he text a girl to come by? Should he get drunk and try and forget about that stupid brunette? Should he try and get Elena back? No, no, and definitely no. As Damon sits on the couch, he begins to realize that if Elena wants to be a stuck up bitch then he won't give a fuck. He knows that she's too good for him, of course, she is! But, he also doesn't want her to see that, to know that. She pretends to know him. She pretends to have him all figured out. But she doesn't. She doesn't know shit about his life or what he does with it. Sure they've talked and she knows the basics but she doesn't know enough to judge him, enough to push him away. _

_Because what Elena doesn't know, is that Damon hasn't slept with a girl since before they kissed at the lake. She doesn't know that he can't stop thinking about her even when his mind should be focused on something else. She doesn't know that her not trusting him actually hurt him. She doesn't know shit, and so Damon does what Damon does. He grabs a bottle of beer and convinces himself that he doesn't care. He will not change for her. He will not plead for her to come back. He will not beg because Damon Salvatore is stubborn and he won't be the first one to apologize. Little problem, the spunky brunette who pushed him away is stubborn too._

Elena POV

_Elena enters the dorm, the girl shutting the door quietly as she does._

_"Elena? I didn't think that you would be back so early." Caroline comes around the corner, a boy's shirt buttoned onto her obviously naked body._

_"Are you? Is there someone in the bathroom?" Elena questions as her brown eyes go wide. The problem with living in a dorm is that there is no space and no privacy. Obviously, Caroline wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of Elena being out for the night. _

_"Yes," Caroline squeals, the blonde girl embarrassed. "But I thought you and Damon were gonna be together." _

_"It's okay, Care...umm... I'll get out of your way, yeah?" Elena begins to back out of the room when a familiar dirty blonde-haired boy walks out into the open. A pair of grey boxers cover his junk as Elena's eyes go wide._

_"Stefan? Oh... hi... how are you?" Elena mutters out, the girl still in shock that Caroline is having sex with Damon's brother._

_"Oh... Jesus..." Stefan looks down at his underwear, the boy realizing that Elena shouldn't see him like this._

_"Umm... I'm gonna go." Elena tells Caroline as she swings back out of the dorm as quickly as possible. _

_When she turns around, her back is now touching the closed wooden door as she stares out blankly into the boring hallway. If things had played out differently maybe Elena and Damon would be doing the same thing Caroline and Stefan are. If Elena didn't always get in her head then maybe she could be as fun and carefree as Caroline is. But, she can't be. She can't just magically trust someone. And maybe she was a little too harsh, but it's better now then later when she's too deep into it and ends up getting her heart broken. And that is Elena's logic as she walks down the hallway, the girl knocking on a girlfriend's dorm because her best friend is shagging her date's brother. Weird. _

Present Day

"Do you think everything happens for a reason?" Elena then asks Damon as he looks down at her, his eyes solely focused on her soft lips for a moment.

"I do," Damon nods and when Elena does too, he can't help but get sucked into her brown eyes. A moment of lust and longing hangs between them as Damon's blue eyes fixated on hers.

"Damon, I just wanted to say that-"

"Elena! Damon! Come here!" Caroline's shrieking voice then sounds through the home as Elena snaps her eyes away from Damon.

"What were you gonna say?" Damon still questions her as she shakes her head, the brunette blushing shyly as he rises from the couch.

"Nevermind, let's go." Elena rises and walks off before he can say another word. She always did that: left when things got too scary or too complicated. He let her walk away then, but will he let her walk away now?

**Hey readers! How are you? Also, I know I haven't been on here in a while but I'm back now and I'm trying to write and update chapters for all my stories! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and overall the plot of this story. Things will start to take off from here and I already know what's gonna happen next chapter! One word: DRAMA. Well, thanks for reading and I hope you liked it! Lots of love, livherself. Also, thanks for the reviews and to all of those who read this story!**


	9. Jealousy

**This chapter contains sexual content so if you don't like that then don't read the last half of this chapter. But, this story is rated M and most of you readers know that type of content is included in this story. ****Anyway, this chapter gave me a lot of trouble because I typed it all out on my phone and then it all deleted so yeah... but I still managed to type this one up so hopefully, it is almost as good as the original. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

_Jealousy_

_A sentiment which is born in love and which is produced by the fear that the loved person prefers someone else. _

Present Day

Damon enters the office on the Monday morning, the man realizing that Andie is standing two feet away from him.

"Hey," Damon approaches the woman as she stands up straighter in his presence.

"Hey, how are you?" Andie questions as she looks him up and down. He doesn't look tired, for once.

"I'm great actually. My brother told me he is getting married so..." Damon shrugs as her lips transform into a smile.

"Oh my god, tell him I said congratulations." Andie smiles a bright smile and there is no doubt in his mind that she is beautiful.

"I will," Damon nods as he rests his hand on the desk. "How about you?"

"I'm good, just got a few things done, nothing extreme."

"That sounds good, and when can I be placed on that busy schedule of yours again?" Damon smirks as his blue eyes ignite with want, the man obviously flirting with the woman.

"I think I can make room for you." Andie plays along as she bites her lip. She wants him. There is no doubt in his mind that she does and you know what? He wants her too. A part of him wants to move on from all of the drama.

_Six years ago_

_Damon taps his hand against the steering wheel of his baby blue Camaro as Stefan and Enzo sit in his car as well. Enzo is one of Damon's good friends, in fact, they have been good friends ever since high school._

_"Dude, could you turn it up a little bit?" Stefan yells out sarcastically as Damon scoffs. Looking to the right, Damon views Enzo who is sitting in the passenger seat. Both of the boys smirk before turning the music up more, the motion causing Stefan to cover his ears. "Are you fucking kidding me?"_

_"Sorry, baby bro." Damon turns it down as he presses his foot on the gas once more. They head around the corner until they pull up to a coffee shop near campus. Stefan is going back to NYU tomorrow and Damon thought he would spend the day with his brother before he left once again. "Come on, I need caffeine." _

_"Why? Did a girl keep you up?" Enzo questions the dark-haired man as Damon shakes his head._

_"No, but I definitely plan on getting laid tonight." Damon winks in his friend's direction as he opens the door for the two young men._

_"You and Elena still good?" Stefan questions._

_Laughing dryly, Damon pretends to not care about the brunette as he shrugs. "I've decided I want a blonde." _

_In response to Damon's comment, Enzo laughs but Stefan just scrutinizes his brother._

_"Why?"_

_"It didn't work out, okay? Not all of us can get the girl to sleep with us the first time we meet them like you and blondie." Damon chuckles like an asshole. _

_Stefan then begins laughing and that's when Damon turns around, his blue eyes narrow with confusion. "She dumped you, didn't she?" _

_"Drop it, Stef." _

_"No, I know you and you only act defensive when you don't get what you want. You wanted her and you know it. But she dumped you and so now your acting like a dick." Stefan tells his brother with a straight face. He knows he's right, in fact, he is right. He has his brother figured out._

_"Dumped me? Please, Stefan, we weren't even dating."_

_"Yeah, but you wanted to be."_

_"Shut up, I can leave your ass on the curb, remember?" Damon rolls his eyes as he looks over his shoulder. Enzo is just standing silently, the young man knowing not to get involved in a Salvatore brother argument. _

_"Fine, fine, if you want to be in denial then that's on you." Stefan backs up with his arms raised as if he is surrendering. A foolish smile is placed on his face as Damon rolls his eyes. _

_"Whatever, what do you guys want?" _

Elena POV

_"What are you doing?" Caroline questions Elena as she sits on the couch, her head buried in the familiar green book that means so much to the brunette. _

_"Just writing," Elena answers as she looks up to see Caroline with her hand on her hip. "Can I help you?" Elena smiles, the girl knowing that Caroline has something to say._

_"I just..." Caroline shakes her head as she takes a seat on the couch. "Just tell me why, tell me why you ended it." _

_"Care," Elena shakes her head as she warns the blonde. She doesn't want to talk about this. Yes, she wants Damon. She knows that he is a good person deep down. She knows that he cares about her and she cares about him too. She knows that he can fulfill every desire she has. She knows that he might be good for her despite her trepidation. But she also knows that he is a heartbreaker. She also knows that he is linked to all sorts of trouble. She also doesn't know if she can trust him. But most of all she is scared. She is scared of falling. Sometimes it's easier to push things away, it's easier to live in the little bubble she has created. Damon will only pop that bubble with all of his snarky comments, mind-blowing kisses, and bad boy attitude. _

_"Fine, I'm not gonna say anything else." Caroline shrugs as she curls up against the brunette. "It's been four days though and you didn't even tell me what happened that night."_

_"Nothing happened, I just realized that I don't want a relationship right now." Elena lies. _

_"Okay fine but S__tefan's leaving tomorrow so I'm going to Kelsey's."_

_"Who's Kelsey?" Elena questions as Caroline opens the mini fridge._

_"She's a junior and the president of some sorority. Anyway, she is having some people over at her apartment." _

_"Sounds fun," Elena nods as a knock sounds through the room. "Who's that?"_

_"Bonnie," Caroline travels over to the door in order to let their best friend in. Bonnie then steps in, a few shopping bags filling her hands._

_"I need to sit," Bonnie sighs as she drops all of the bags in the college girls' entryway._

_"You good?" Elena questions her exhausted friend as Bonnie falls onto the couch. _

_"I am okay. And look at what I got us." Bonnie pulls out matching white bando tops as Caroline shrieks. The blonde thinks any material of clothing that barely covers her body is wonderful._

_"Cute, I like." Elena takes the top as she hands the other one to Caroline. "What's the occasion?"_

_"No occasion I just wanted to do something nice for my best friends." Bonnie smiles before looking at her phone. "I don't want to drive all the way home tonight after the party, do you guys think I can bunk here?"_

_"Of course," Elena tells Bonnie before lowering her voice so that she is pretending to whisper but is well aware that Caroline can still hear her. "And anyway Care is most likely not sleeping here." Elena giggles as Bonnie's eyes shift over to the wide-eyed blonde. _

_"Elena Gilbert!"_

_"What?" Elena shrugs innocently as Caroline shakes her head with a smile plastered across her face. "You're the one shacking my...whatever Damon was's...brother."_

_"Was?" Bonnie questions Elena as the brunette looks over to the girl. "I thought you and Damon were good."_

_"It doesn't matter." Elena shrugs as she looks down at her cellphone. "You know what? I'm going to come tonight too." Elena tells the girls as they both nod._

_"Damon might be there," Caroline warns._

_"Will you guys stop talking about Damon?" Elena questions, the girl annoyed that they keep touching on the subject that she doesn't want to talk about. But at the same time, she misses him. She thought that maybe he would text her again. But no, of course, he wouldn't. He's Damon and he happens to be just as stubborn as she is. _

Present Day

Elena is driving home, Isabella dancing in the backseat to the familiar song playing through the car as she does. "Honey, do you mind if we stop at Auntie Caroline's mommy's house?"

"No, I wanna see Auntie Caroline." Isabella chimes in as she fixes the bow clipped into her silky, brown hair.

"Okay, baby," Elena nods as they continue down the street until they arrive at Liz's house once again. Caroline told Elena that she needed to see her as soon as possible and so Elena came to her best friend as soon as possible.

"Mommy," Isabella calls out to her mother as Elena opens the car door, the young mother unbuckling her daughter as she holds the four-year-old girl on her hip. Once they reach the doorstep, Elena rings the doorbell.

"Did you have a good day at school?"

"Yeah, did you have a good meeting?" Isabella converses with her mother as she runs her fingers through Elena's long, brunette locks.

"I did actually." Elena smiles as she taps her finger against her daughter's little, button nose.

"Elena," Caroline opens the door, her face flushed as she looks to Isabella. "Baby girl! How are you?" Caroline immediately smiles as she wraps her arms around the small girl.

"Auntie Care, I wanna play with barbies."

"Okay honey," Caroline laughs as she points to the living room. "Go play sweetheart. Your mommy and I are just going to talk about a few things." Caroline smiles but Elena is no longer smiling as she views the look in Caroline's blue eyes. Once Isabella runs into the other room, Elena looks to Caroline worriedly.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Elena questions the blonde as she nods her head towards the kitchen. "Caroline you're beginning to scare me. Tell me what the hell is going on."

"Okay," Caroline sighs as she rests her hands on the counter. "I thought I should be the one to tell you since you're going to find out anyway." Caroline leads on.

"Find out about what?"

"Apparently Damon is seeing someone. I mean like really seeing someone." Caroline tells Elena, her face curious as she watches for the brunette's reaction.

Smiling sadly, Elena nods. "I know, Care,"

"You know?"

"Yeah, I saw him at the bar not too long ago. I mean it might not be the woman you're talking about but if it is then yeah I already know."

"And you're not mad? You're not upset?" Caroline seethes, the girl obviously upset by this information.

"I don't know, why I would be? I want him to be happy."

"I know I am supposed to stay out of it and I know you guys have been through a lot with each other but what happened to the Elena that would never give up on him? What happened to the Elena who couldn't stand the sight of him with anyone but her? Where is she? Because I was there Lena! I saw you guys through it all and I know that a love that strong doesn't just fade away!"

"Care, I'm not doing this." Elena shakes her head as she pushes her hair back.

"No! Don't walk away from me! I want you to tell me how you really feel."

"I don't know what to do about it Care! Do you want me to say I'm jealous? Do you want me to get him back? Well, I tried! A year ago I tried to get everything back that I lost but he was done. He gave up and I know that I am the one who gave up first but come on Care, move on. He is moving on and yeah, maybe it does hurt a little. But, I can't change it because yes, I miss him and yes, I love him. He's the father of my daughter for God's sake. But it's my fault that he is gone and if he wants to move on then I am not going to be the one to stop him." Elena reveals as a single tear rolls down her cheek.

"Lena,"

"I'm fine, okay? I want him to be happy." Elena tells Caroline, but does she believe what she herself is saying? She isn't so sure.

_Six years ago_

_Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie all enter Kelsey's apartment, whoever she may be. _

_"Damn, this place is nice." Bonnie acknowledges the expensive decor as Caroline nods. _

_"Well, her dad runs his own electrical business so they aren't hurting on money," Caroline tells the two girls as their eyes drift over everyone in the apartment. People crowd every space as the three girls make their way to get drinks. It seems that they are always at some type of party but Whitmore is known for its partying qualities. _

_"Caroline!" A male voice then sounds out as the three girls turn to see a more than attractive Stefan Salvatore walking in their direction._

_"Hey, you," Caroline smiles and it's then that Elena notices the way they look at each other. His dark green eyes stay fixated on her blue ones as Caroline's cheeks ignite with a pink tone. _

_"Hey, Elena," Stefan acknowledges the other two girls as he looks from Elena to Bonnie. "And I don't believe we have met, I'm Stefan." Stefan holds out his hand to Bonnie as she shakes it. _

_"Bonnie, nice to meet you."_

_"Get us drinks?" Caroline questions as Stefan smiles, the boy nodding as he leads the girls towards the backroom. "How do you know where you're going?"_

_"Oh, we've been here for a while. Damon knows Kelsey and so she called us to help with some things earlier." _

_"Damon's here?" Caroline questions as she looks back to Elena, the brunette already looking around for the dark-haired boy. _

_"Yeah, I'm pretty sure unless he ditched me." Stefan smiles as they stop in the kitchen. And that's when Elena sees him. Damon. He has his hands firmly gripped onto a blonde girl's hips as he smirks at her. Her plump lips are moving and she is obviously saying something dirty because Damon is about to kiss the hot blonde before he notices the four people who have just entered the kitchen. _

_Immediately, his eyes drift to Elena who looks upset as she looks down to her feet. And here he is, only proving her earlier suspicions about him. _

_"Stef, look at you. Not one but three?" Damon turns to view his brother and the three judging ladies as they all scowl at his immature behavior. "Kelsey, this is my brother's one night stand Caroline. This is my almost but never one night stand Elena. And this is Bonnie, no one has slept with her... yet." Damon smirks as Kelsey laughs, the girl finding him funny when Elena finds his words absolutely appalling. Why did she ever even contemplate giving him a chance?_

_"Shut up, Damon." Stefan scoffs. _

_Scoffing too, Elena rolls her eyes as she pushes past him. She purposely pushes past his shoulder as she takes a shot glass in her hand. Filling the shot glass with tequila, Elena tips the glass in Damon's direction before pouring the alcohol back into her mouth. _

_"Damn, the girl can drink," Kelsey speaks up as Elena smiles, a smile that shows Damon just how badass Elena Gilbert truly is. She doesn't need him and that is the sexiest thing about her._

_Elena's eyes don't leave Damon's as his blue eyes fixate on hers intensely. Everyone else fades away and all he can see is her, all he can think about is her._

_"Hey, Damon," Kelsey taps Damon on the shoulder as he looks to the right, the girl still pressed to his side. Not caring about what he does now, Elena makes her way out of the kitchen. The other girls follow her and before Damon knows it all of them are gone, leaving him here to feel like the asshole he knows he is. He shouldn't have said that. He knows that. But, he had to. She hurt him and so he wanted to hurt her. Little did he know that hurting Elena only made him hurt even more. _

_"What the hell was that?" Bonnie questions as Caroline runs off to talk to Stefan, leaving Elena and Bonnie alone amongst the many people. _

_"Nothing, he's an asshole." Elena rolls her eyes as she looks up to see a blonde-haired guy ogling her. His eyes trail up and down her stunning body as Elena smirks, the girl waving as Bonnie looks back. _

_"Elena, what are you doing?" Bonnie questions her friend's intentions as the hot guy waves back. "Is this about Damon? Are you doing this to make him jealous because Elena he obviously isn't worth it."_

_"Bonnie, I'm not using anybody to get to anybody. He looks nice and so I'm going to go talk to him like a nice person." Elena tells her friend as she walks away and over to the young man. _

_"Hey beautiful," The young man looks Elena up and down. Her white top is strapless, the shirt covering her stomach but revealing her toned arms. The jean shorts she wears are short, the girl revealing more than Damon would appreciate other guys seeing._

_"Hi," Elena smiles, a genuine, shy smile because this isn't her. She isn't a flirt, that's Caroline. But here she is and for what? To make Damon jealous? _

_"Who are you here with?"_

_"A couple of friends, I'm Elena." Elena puts out her hand as the young man shakes it._

_"Cameron," He smiles, the boy showing off his cute dimples. "So do you go to Whitmore?" _

_"I do, and you?"_

_"I go here, yeah. So you know Kelsey?"_

_"No, not really but a few of my friends do," Elena answers him as he nods, the man's eyes not falling from her boobs. When Elena looks to the left, she notices Damon staring at her from across the room. No, actually Damon is staring at Cameron, not her._

_"Do you want to dance?" Elena__ questions the golden blonde-haired boy as he smirks._

_"Hell yeah,"_

_Grabbing his hand, Elena leads him to the dance floor as her eyes connect with Damon's blue ones for a moment. He looks pissed. But because Elena is eighteen and immature, she decides that she wants to give him a taste of his own medicine as she slides her hand up Cameron's chest. Her bottom shakes and that's when Cameron's hands drift towards her ass, the man feeling at her beautiful body as his eyes ignite with want._

_"Hey!" Damon yells out, the young man not being able to take the sight of Elena within another man's arms. "Don't touch her." Damon approaches the two people as he leaves Kelsey behind._

_"Damon," Elena breathes out as she shakes her head, the girl shocked that he is actually doing this._

_"You," Damon looks over to view the brunette as she scowls. "Come with me," Damon grabs her arm before looking over to Cameron. "And you might want to go walk that off." Damon looks down, the three people taking notice of the bulge springing out in his pants._

_"Oh shit," Cameron speaks out as he runs off, the guy completely mortified._

_"Come on," Damon begins to lead her down the hall, his hand firmly pressed against her bare arm._

_"What are you doing? Let go of me!"_

_Damon doesn't let go, though, as they continue until they are in someone else's bedroom. Closing the door, Damon stands in front of it._

_"What the hell was that?" Damon questions._

"_What the hell was what?" Elena shrugs._

_"You and fucking preppy, trust fund brat!" Damon points to the door as Elena laughs._

_"Me? What about you? Kelsey looks like a great pick. Are you playing the game of how many STD's can I get in one night?" Elena judges the girl as she stands about two feet away from him._

_"Oh, so you were doing it to make me jealous?" Damon smirks as Elena's eyes ignite with rage._

_"No! We are not a thing anymore, remember? Why would I be jealous?"_

_"I don't know Elena. I don't know anything when it comes to you so why don't you clear it up for me." Damon pleads as his eyes go wide._

_"I don't know why I am even here." Elena pushes past him but then Damon grabs her arm._

_"No, don't walk away from me. I let you walk away the other night but not today." Damon tells her as his blue eyes peer into her soul. "Tell me why you're so mad at me."_

_"Why wouldn't I be mad Damon? You just practically had your tongue down that stupid girl's throat and then you basically called me a tease who you were only trying to sleep with!" Elena backs away from him as she reveals the truth. _

_"Why do you even care about Kelsey? You're the one that ended this, remember?" Damon tells her as he blows up, the young man's head spinning because of how much she confuses him. _

_"I don't care about her." Elena lies but her cheeks are still flushed with annoyance. "But I do care what you say about me! You called me a fucking one night stand and I'm not supposed to be mad?"_

_"Well, that's what you think of me isn't it? You think that I was only trying to sleep with you this whole damn time?" _

_"Damon,"_

_"So I was just going to make it easy for you and play into your little imagination but now that I think about it, I don't want to do that. When you came to my apartment, I told you that I'd wait for you and I wasn't lying. When I woke up to you that morning, I knew that you meant more than just some hookup. I wanted you, Lena. I still do but obviously, you don't. So you can't get jealous or upset if you are the one who ended things, Elena." _

_Looking at him, Elena then shakes her head as tears fill up her brown eyes. _

_"Elena, please just tell me what the hell is going on between us." Damon pleads. His voice is now soft as Elena looks to the side._

_"I'm sorry, okay? There, I said it." Elena reveals as she looks up to see his blue eyes staring dead at her. "You were right. I was scared, I still am."_

_"Of me?"_

_"Yes! And no, I don't know." Elena shakes her head._

_"Just tell me what you want."_

_"I want you!" Elena tells him before she can say anything else. His eyes fall and so do Elena's as a single tear escapes her eye. If they were in a movie Damon would run up and kiss her. But this isn't a movie and he is still so confused._

_"What?"_

_"The truth is that I am scared. I am scared of everything you say and everything you do because I don't think I've ever wanted anybody more. And so I backed away because I know that this will only end badly and I wanted to avoid getting hurt. But you know what? My reasons aren't reasons they are excuses and I want you, Damon." _

_Swallowing roughly, Damon doesn't know what to say to that as he nods. "Elena," Damon takes a slow step towards her and Elena doesn't back away. Her feet don't move and she watches as he gets closer and closer until their faces are nearly inches away from one another. "I would never hurt you, okay?" _

_"Okay," Elena nods as he does. Placing his hand on her cheek, Damon realizes that enough has been said as he drops down to kiss her soft lips. That spark ignites through them once again and that is when Damon notices how much he missed her. _

_"I promise I won't hurt you." Damon pulls away as he grabs her face within his hands. Kissing the girl's forehead, Damon thinks that is all she wants before Elena runs her hand up to his chest. His soft black shirt runs across her fingers as she stares into his confused, blue eyes. _

_"I trust you," Elena mutters out as Damon's eyes widen. All of this time he had been doubting himself and so had she. But now she is saying it to his face. She trusts him. _

_Grabbing the back of her neck, Damon then pulls the stunning girl into him as she melts against him. His lips pressed against hers feels like heaven as Elena grips tightly onto his shirt. Their hands fumble all around each other's bodies as their tongues fight for dominance. Everything about Elena is everything Damon could ever desire. Pulling at the hem of his shirt, Elena then pulls her mouth away from his._

_"I want you," Elena tells him seductively as her brown eyes flutter open. _

_"Like want, want?" Damon questions like a dumbass as his eyes go wide. Why is he acting like a foolish idiot? Because Elena Gilbert turns him into a foolish idiot. _

_"Yeah," Elena swallows down her lust as she smiles. "Let's get out of here." _

_"Yeah, let's do that." Damon takes her hand within his, the man desperately eager for whatever is going to happen tonight. _

_"Should I tell Caroline or Bonnie?" _

_"If you want to." Damon turns as they approach the apartment door. _

_"No, it's okay." Elena gives up on her friends as she looks into those dreamy, icy, blue eyes of his. Right now she can't resist him. Sometimes when people try to fight something, the tension builds up so much that they have no choice but to give in to their temptations. _

_"Okay," Damon nods as he takes her hand within his once again. They travel down the stairs and the next thing you know they are in his blue Camaro. Not being able to not touch her, Damon reaches across as his lips connect with hers once more. "Okay, let's go now." Damon backs up and then they are off. Nerves, that is what Elena feels. She feels nervous for it all. Damon intimidates her and she knows that he has more experience than her in this department. _

_Once the Camaro reaches Damon's apartment, the two people look at each other for a quick moment. Damon's eyes flicker from her eyes to her lips as he goes to open the door. Following his actions, Elena gets out of the car too as they walk into the building. Elena slowly wrings her wrists as she feels her stomach flutter continuously. She has never felt this nervous in her whole life._

_"You okay?" Damon looks to the right as he slides his house key into the door. _

_"Uh huh," Elena mutters out nervously as he opens the door. She has done this before. That is what Elena tells herself but it means nothing. She feels like a sixteen-year-old virgin again and she isn't sure why. Maybe it's because he is older. Maybe it's because she desires him so badly._

_Once they enter his apartment, Damon turns around in order to face the breathless brunette. Taking a step closer, Damon slides his large hand up her side. He feels at the curve of her hips and at the narrowness of her waist. Her eyes are still and wide as she gulps roughly._

_"Are you nervous?" Damon asks her as he smiles, the young man noticing the drastic effect he has on her. _

_"A little," Elena tells him the truth as he bites his lower lip._

_"That's okay," Damon smiles as he appreciates every part of this girl. If someone told him he would be taking Elena home tonight, he would have never believed them. _

_Slowly, Damon wraps his hands around her white top as she raises her arms, the girl allowing him to remove her shirt. He pulls the top over her head swiftly before his lust controls him and he drops down to kiss her lips. And then it all happens so fast. That fire that ceases to die between them ignites and the two people kiss each other roughly. Elena's hands travel all around his body as Damon picks her up. Wrapping her legs around Damon's waist, Elena holds onto his neck as she kisses him wildly. _

_They run into every wall possible wall as Damon dives deeper into the girl's mouth. Elena then begins to thrust herself against him while still in his arms. His hands grip tighter onto her ass and his member gets even harder as she moves against him. _

_"Elena," Damon groans as she pulls on his black hair, the girl's eyes closed as Damon begins to suck on her neck. _

_Elena then tightens her legs as he kicks open his bedroom door. Damon holds her tightly against him, their lips never parting until they are desperate for air. Detaching his lips from hers, Damon drops Elena down onto his large bed as she breathes heavily. Her breasts move up and down as she tries to regain her breath, but she ultimately fails when Damon grinds against her. Moving on top of her, Damon begins to kiss her neck and then her chest and eventually her naval. Elena squirms against him as he begins to unbutton her jean shorts, the young man's other hand gently resting on her bare stomach. _

_"Damon," Elena whines as Damon takes off her shorts quickly, leaving the girl in her black bra and blue thong. _

_"God, you're so sexy," Damon mutters out under his breath as he presses light kisses against her pelvic bone. Elena then watches him as his finger curls beneath her pantie line and he places a soft kiss beneath the material._

_"Please, do it," Elena practically begs Damon as he smirks like the devil he is. Slipping her panties down her smooth legs, Damon runs his hands up her thighs as shivers erupt beneath his touch. His hands then begin to roam everywhere until they fall to her bra, the man unclasping the only material on the girl's body. In response to his touches, Elena quakes beneath him and Damon can't believe he finally has her as he shakes his head. _

_He is staring and that makes Elena ultimately uncomfortable as she covers herself with her arms. Never did Matt ever look at her like this, like she meant everything. _

_"Don't," Damon shakes his head as he realizes the way she is covering herself with her arms. "You don't have to do that with me," Damon tells Elena as he drops down to where she lays once more. "I think you're beautiful," Damon whispers into the quiet room as he drops down to kiss her soft lips once more. _

_Elena doesn't know what to say to that and so she just kisses him back, the young girl allowing herself to be vulnerable with him as she slips her tongue into his open mouth. Traveling down her body once again, Damon kisses every inch of her before flicking his tongue against her now wet folds._

_"Shit," Elena curses as Damon enters a single finger into her. He feels at her for a moment until he adds another finger. His large hands perform wonders on the girl and Damon can't help but watch as her head falls back and her eyes flutter shut. Smirking, Damon loves what he can do to her body as she breathes out heavily._

_"Damon," Elena whines out his name as she feels him sucking on her clit. Grabbing the sheets, Elena can't take it any longer as she gives up everything for him and falls over the edge. Her orgasm washes over her and if that impresses Elena then she has no idea what she is in for. _

_Damon then removes his finger and slides his tongue against her once more before trailing back up her body. His light kisses cover her bare skin as she quakes beneath him, her fingers diving into his dark hair. Slipping his tongue back into the girl's mouth, Damon tastes her on his mouth as he runs his hand through her brown locks. Not being able to handle herself, Elena slips Damon's shirt over his head. Swiftly, Damon takes off his pants too and before she knows it he is completely naked as his lengthy erection rubs against her thigh. _

_"One minute," Damon takes a break from kissing her as he reaches over into the drawer beside his bed. Pulling out a box of condoms, Damon takes one out as he carefully peels back the wrapper. Elena watches him intensely as he stands on his knees in front of her. He slides the condom onto his hardened member before lowering himself once again. "Okay, you okay?" _

_Nodding, Elena answers him as she runs her hand across the back of his neck. "Damon," Elena breathes out once heavily as she presses her lips against his once more. Slowly, Damon's throbbing member enters her as she slowly stretches to fit his size. Elena's mouth falls open and Damon watches her intensely as to tell whether or not he should stop. But, she then glides her hand down his back and towards his ass as she pushes him further in with her hand. Smirking, Damon gives the girl what she wants as he thrusts deeper into her. She is everything he could have imagined: tight and warm. _

_"Fuck," Damon groans as he rests his head in the crook of her neck. His breathing becomes unstable as he quickens his pace, the man pumping into her deeply._

_"Oh god," Elena whines as her soft whimpers echo through the silent room. Their bodies clash together as Elena's smooth legs drift across his bare body. Her soul feels as if it has been electrified as she holds onto his dark hair. "Damon," Elena moans as he moves inside of her, the man knowing exactly how to make her head spin. _

_"Shit, Elena," Damon swears as he places light kisses against her neck while still thrusting into her deliciously. Her hands shake against his back as she grips onto his skin. She can feel his muscles move beneath her hands as she digs her nails into his back. "Fuck,"_

_"Right there, right there," Elena repeats twice, the girl holding onto him as if her life depends on it. His hands rest on each side of her head and when her legs tighten around him, Damon knows she's close. Not being able to take it anymore, Damon lets go as he cums, Elena following shortly after as she moans breathlessly._

_"Oh god," Damon swears as he sighs, the man still resting inside of her as they both come back down to reality. Intense vibrations run through him as he shakily kisses the brunette's neck. Elena, on the other hand, can't even move as she closes her eyes, the woman's breath unsteady as she threads her fingers through his black hair slowly._

_"Oh, Damon," Elena shakes her head as he kisses her chin and then her lips. Pulling out of her, Damon then sighs before resting beside the brunette. Both of their chests rise and fall rapidly as they stare up at the ceiling, both of them in a daze after what just happened. _

_"Holy, shit," Elena swears as Damon chuckles, the man noticing the effect he has on her body. _

_"Right?" Damon smirks arrogantly as he looks to the left, the man viewing the stunning woman. Her boobs are covered with a shimmering layer of sweat as she stares up at the ceiling, her brown eyes filled with satisfaction. _

_"You are going to be the end of me, Salvatore," Elena looks up to see him as he smirks, the man finding it unbelievable that he finally has her. Elena Gilbert is in his bed, completely naked._

_"Come here," Damon smiles foolishly as he pulls the brunette into his arms. Laying against his chest, Elena can still feel her legs shaking, Damon performing wonders on the shaken up girl. Her hand falls up to his chest as his fingers thread through her soft, brown hair._

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

_Damon's phone then sounds off as Damon turns to grab the cellphone. Viewing the caller I.D., Damon's eyes widen. "I'm sorry I have to take this."_

_"It's okay, do you want me to-" Elena points to the door as she rises slightly. Damon then shakes his head as he grabs her arm lightly. _

_"No, it's okay." Damon brings her back onto his chest as he answers the phone. "Hey, mom,"_

_"Hi baby, how are you?"_

_Elena then smiles at the fact that his mother still refers to him as "baby". Because she is so close to his ear, Elena can hear the words his mother is speaking._

_"I'm good, is everything okay?" Damon questions, his voice instantly straying to a worried tone as he holds the iPhone tight against his ear. _

_"Oh, I'm fine hun but my surgery is tomorrow morning and because Julie is out of town and Stefan is going back to school, I won't have anyone here with me. Do you think you could come by?"_

_"Mom, of course, your surgery is at eleven, right?" _

_"Yes,"_

_"Okay, I'll be there at nine."_

_"Thank you, hun, and keep an eye on your brother okay? Or should I be telling him that? You always were the trouble maker." His mother laughs through the phone as Elena smiles. _

_"I will keep an eye on him." Damon chuckles. "And you're sure you're okay?"_

_"I'm fine, goodnight hun."_

_"Alright, goodnight see you tomorrow." Damon hangs up the phone as he shifts slightly to set the phone back onto the nightstand once again. _

_"Is she okay?" Elena questions as he begins to run his hand along her smooth back. _

_"Yeah, she just has surgery tomorrow. I have to leave in the morning so I won't be able to hang around here with you." _

_"That's okay if you need any help I'm here and if you don't then I'm okay with that too." Elena turns in his arms so that she can view him more clearly. His hands travel across her bare back as he gulps, the man not being able to handle her beauty. _

_"Come with me," Damon mutters out as Elena's eyes widen. _

_"You want me to meet your mom?" _

_"Yeah," Damon smiles as he presses his thumb against her bottom lip lovingly. "Only if you want to though, no pressure." _

_"I want to," Elena nods as she smiles, the girl realizing how serious this really is. And by the way he looks at her, she knows that he feels the same. Because after everything, no one has ever looked at her the way he does; no one has ever made her feel the way he does. _

_"Wanna go again?" Damon smirks as Elena shakes her head, the girl instantly knowing that she is in for one hell of a ride. _

**Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it. Next chapter you will meet Damon's mom and she plays an important roll in this story. Anyway, leave a review they really keep me writing and I love getting them even if it's small. Alright, see you next time. **


	10. Falling Deeper

**So in this chapter, you will see Damon and Stefan's mother in both the past and the present. Some of you may have thought that she had already passed but I have other plans. Anyway, as you remember their mother has lymphoma and is still fighting that. I have created my own version of their mother because I personally don't like Lily in the Vampire Diaries and I didn't want to use that name. So, I kind of just created my own person. Okay, enough said, enjoy the chapter! :)**

_"Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different?"_

Present Day

Damon enters the house in which his mother is living in, the woman hooked up to many machines as he carries a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Isabella is sitting on his hip as the middle-aged woman shrieks with joy.

"Oh my! My little angel."

"Grandma!" Isabella jumps down out of her father's arms as she sprints over to her weak looking grandma sitting in her chair.

"Hello, beautiful," Elizabeth kisses the girl's forehead as Isabella smiles, the girl happy that she is in her grandma's arms once again.

"Grandma, what's this for?" Isabella holds up a tube connected to the woman's body as Damon rushes towards his mother.

"No, no, no Bella, don't touch that." He grabs the tube from her small hand as Isabella frowns.

"Damon, I'm fine." Elizabeth smiles a genuine smile as she rests her hand on his tense shoulder.

Gulping roughly, Damon nods as he takes a step back. He hates seeing her like this: weak and tired.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm great now that you brought her here but I'm missing my other girl. I told Elena to come by too but obviously, she isn't with you." Elizabeth looks behind Damon, the woman rolling her eyes because she knows the brunette isn't here.

"Mom," Damon shakes his head, the young man never knowing how to make her mind change about the matter.

"I know, I know, you're not together anymore." Elizabeth rolls her eyes as Isabella looks between the two people.

Widening his eyes, Damon looks from his mother to his daughter, the man telling Elizabeth to stop talking without actually saying anything.

"So, how is work? And your father?"

"Work is fine and dad is dad." Damon answers as he takes a seat on the couch in front of them.

"Good, and how's Elena?"

"Wow, you really want to talk about Elena, don't you?" Damon chuckles as his mother shrugs.

"I love her, you know that. I've loved her since the day you brought her to the hospital with you."

_Six years ago_

_"Damon, stop." Elena giggles as Damon grabs her waist, the boy making it impossible for her to get dressed as he nibbles her neck._

_"What? I just can't keep my hands off of you." Damon smirks as he bites her ear lobe._

_"Ew," Elena flinches as she turns around, the girl's naked breasts now pressed up to his bare chest. His arms wrap around her tightly as Elena smiles. "Are you sure you want me to come?"_

_Smiling, Damon looks to her lips before nodding. "I do,"_

_Elena then nods before biting her lip while still in his arms. "Do you think she'll like me?"_

_Laughing, Damon finds her words funny because he has no doubt in his mind that his mother will love her. Elena is caring and kind and selfless. She is every mother's dream and Damon's dream too. The girls Damon brought home were never his mother's cup of tea and if Elena isn't then the woman has some screws loose._

_"I think she'll love you."_

_"Really? Because I don't want her to think that-" Elena pauses as she looks away from his mesmerizing, blue eyes._

_"To think what?" Damon questions as he grabs her chin lightly, the man wanting the girl to look at him once more._

_"To think I'm just some chick you're screwing. I don't know, we didn't really talk last night and I don't know what I am to you." Elena speaks out vulnerably as Damon notices her trepidation._

_"What do you want us to be?"_

_"I want it to just be you and me, but if you can't do that then-"_

_"I want that too," Damon answers as he runs his hand across her cheek._

_"So you're saying you want to be exclusive?"_

_"I'm saying I want you and only you," Damon tells the brunette as she nods, her lips forming an incredible smile. The sunlight shimmers off of her skin as Damon stares at her, the boy mesmerized by the woman in front of him._

_"I'm glad you pulled me away last night." Elena smiles as she wraps her arms around his neck._

_"Oh yeah? You didn't want to go home with golden boy?" Damon smirks as Elena does too, both of them poking fun at the situation that was last night._

_"I don't know he might have been better than you. His..." Elena looks down at Damon's boxers. "was pretty big."_

_Open mouthed, Damon finds her words incredibly surprising as he shakes his head. Not only is she the kindest human being but she also happens to have a tremendous amount of spunk. "One," Damon points with his finger. "No one is better than me. And two," Damon holds up another finger. "The effect you had on him was quite impressive."_

_"Oh really?" Elena giggles._

_"Yes, really," Damon smirks as he drops down to kiss her lips once again. Elena's eyes flutter shut and when she opens them once again, she realizes that he is staring at her, his blue eyes peering into her soul._

_"What?"_

_"Nothing," Damon shakes his head as he kisses her once more before slipping his hands off of her waist. "Okay, we should probably get going."_

_"Okay," Elena nods as he looks back at her, the young man noticing how nervous she is._

_"Don't be nervous," Damon smirks as he pulls on a pair of dark wash jeans. Elena rolls her eyes in response as she pulls on a little, sky blue dress. She had run home to get the dress early this morning so that she didn't have to meet his mother in her clothes from the night before._

_"Says you, your not the one who has to make a good first impression."_

Present Day

"She does make quite a first impression." Elizabeth smiles as she runs her hand through Isabella's soft brown hair.

"She sure does," Damon sighs as he smiles, the man loving that his mother is still here to be with his daughter. Ever since Elena got pregnant, he prayed to any being out there that his mother would live to see his daughter, and she did.

"I can't believe your brother is getting married." Elizabeth then shakes her head as she thinks of her youngest son getting engaged to Caroline.

"I know, before me too." Damon chuckles as he fixes his leather jacket slightly.

Looking up at him, Elizabeth is about to say something but decides to keep her mouth closed. Talking about Elena only made him upset, and she understood why. The two people had been through a hell of a lot together at such a young age. She knows though, no matter who comes along or what happens, they will find their way back to each other.

_Six years ago_

_Damon and Elena enter the elevator as Elena fidgets with the end of her dress. Grabbing her hand with his, Damon stops the girl from fidgeting as he smirks at her. Elena's eyes glisten as she smiles back, the girl obviously nervous to meet his mother._

_"Everything's fine," Damon smirks as he brings her hand up in order to place a light kiss on her skin._

_Nodding, Elena follows Damon out of the elevator and through the hospital. The man is obviously on edge as Elena looks at him, her hand still in his._

_Standing outside of the room, Damon looks to Elena before placing his hand on the door and opening it. Inside, Damon's mother is laying on the bed, her nurses helping the beautiful but weak looking woman._

_"Hey, mom," Damon walks in as his mother's head shoots up, her blue eyes immediately widening as they drift to the dark-haired girl standing next to him._

_"Oh, hey hun, and who's this?" Damon's mother smiles as she moves to sit up more._

_"Mom, this is Elena." Damon introduces Elena to his mother as Elena looks at him, her eyes completely captivated by the handsome young man._

_"Oh," His mother's eyes go wide as she loses her words for a moment. Obviously, Damon bringing a girl to meet her isn't an everyday occurrence._

_"It's nice to meet you." Elena steps forward as she extends her hand toward the skeptical woman._

_"It's nice to meet you too, Elena. I'm Elizabeth." Damon's mother smiles as she looks Elena up and down but not in a condescending way. "So are you two dating?" Elizabeth smiles._

_"Umm, yeah," Damon responds but his voice is unsure as he runs his hand over the back of his neck._

_"And why am I hearing about this now?" Elizabeth looks to Damon as Elena gulps._

_"Oh, umm, it's-"_

_"It's a long story," Elena tells his mother, the girl chiming in as Elizabeth looks over to the girl once again._

_Nodding, Elizabeth then smiles as she looks from Damon to Elena. Their hands are still joined together. For the first time in a long time, Elizabeth feels a warmth inside her heart because she knows that if Damon brought this girl to meet her then she must mean a lot to him. She had also been worried about him and his obsession to "play the field" and "not settle down" but here he is. Damon brought a girl to meet her._

_"So, how are you feeling?" Damon asks as he let's go of Elena's hand, the man walking over towards his sick mother with a serious visage._

_"I'm fine, really. I'm sure I will not be as great after the surgery, but for now, I'm okay." Elizabeth tells him as she smiles. Elena notices the way Damon's face falls as he stands next to his mother. He loves her, in fact, Elena had never seen him like this, so afraid. Usually, he was carefree and acted as if he didn't care about anyone or anything, but now, he looks as if he is deathly afraid of losing his mom._

_"So do you go to Whitmore, Elena?" Elizabeth looks back to Elena as she squeezes Damon's hand once._

_"I do, it's my first year." Elena nods._

_"Oh, then you're eighteen?" Elizabeth questions as she looks to Damon, the guy smirking as her blue eyes meet his._

_Of course, she's younger, Elizabeth thinks to herself._

_"I am."_

_"Then you're the same age as my youngest son, Stefan," Elizabeth tells her as Elena smiles._

_"Yeah,"_

_"Well, where did you grow up Elena?"_

_"Mystic Falls."_

_"Oh yeah, that's a super nice town. Do your parents still live there?" Elizabeth questions as Damon's eyes shoot up, the young man looking from his mother and then back to Elena._

_"Yeah, actually my dad still lives in the house I grew up in," Elena tells Elizabeth as she walks over towards one of the chairs placed next to where Damon is sitting._

_"Are you're parents divorced?"_

_"Mom," Damon looks up at his mother, his blue wide as if to tell the woman to stop talking. Confused, Elizabeth looks to Damon and then back to Elena._

_"Umm, my mom passed away actually."_

_"Oh, my gosh, honey," Elizabeth shakes her head as Damon sighs, the young man not knowing if Elena feels uncomfortable now. "I'm so sorry."_

_"No, it's okay, it happened six years ago so I'm okay." Elena smiles a strong, bright smile that sparks something inside Elizabeth. This girl is different, she is a keeper, and Elizabeth can feel it in her bones. Damon is staring at Elena, his eyes focused on her as to tell if she is okay._

_"Still, I'm sorry." Elizabeth reaches out for Elena's hand as she squeezes it once._

_"Thank-you," Elena smiles and she can see the sincerity in the woman's eyes._

_"Of course," Elizabeth smiles as she let's go of Elena's hand and looks back to the machine connected to her arm._

_"How much longer do you have until surgery?"_

_"About two hours, but I don't want to talk about me I want to talk about you two. So, tell me how'd you meet?" Elizabeth smiles and Elena can tell where Damon got his looks from. Her hair, if she has any, is hidden behind a pink bandana but her blue eyes are strikingly beautiful. Her bone structure is flawless and Damon is an exact replica of his mother._

_Smirking, Damon looks to Elena. This should be fun, not. For the next half an hour, Elizabeth asks a million and one questions about Elena and their relationship. His mother is quite funny actually and her sense of humor isn't as dry as Damon's, but she still speaks with a tad bit of sarcasm. Damon and Elizabeth's bond is obvious. Elena could tell that she cares for her children, and the stories she shared about a younger Damon is something Elena will be forever grateful of. The sad part though is how weak she looks. How her face falls for a split second when her sickness takes over. And even though she tried her best to act fine, Damon and Elena both knew that she wasn't okay._

_"Okay, Beth," The familiar nurse and a couple of doctors enter the room as all of the people's eyes shoot up to meet hers. "Let's get you prepped."_

_The doctors prep his mother as Elena and Damon step out of the room and before they know it they are rolling Elizabeth on a gurney towards the OR._

_"Alright, we'll be here after okay mom?" Damon speaks as he grabs his mother's limp hand._

_"Okay," The doctors continue until Damon grabs hold of one of the old man's arm._

_"She's going to be okay, right?" Damon asks the doctor as the man sighs once._

_"You're mother should recover fine. Since your mother has stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma, the cancer has now spread towards her liver and we are going to try our best to save her. That's all I got for now, but this is a low-risk surgery and I predict that your mother will be fine, but I can't promise that either."_

_"Okay, just do your job and don't kill her." Damon shakes his head, his anger wanting to come through._

_"Damon," Elena rests her hand on his arm as he looks back, her eyes wide. She pleads him to back down as she smiles at the straight-faced doctor. "Let's go sit down." Elena pulls Damon away as he looks down at her once more._

_"Thank you,"_

_"For what?" Elena questions as she slides her hand in his._

_"For coming, for being you I guess," Damon tells her as they both sit in the uncomfortable, blue, hospital chairs._

_"Of course. You know you were right, she's pretty amazing." Elena smiles as she looks to him once more._

_"Yeah, she is," Damon's eyes fall to the OR doors once more as his jaw tenses emotionally._

_"Hey," Elena rests her hand on his muscular arm. "She'll be okay."_

_"Yeah, she always is."_

Present Day

"So you're doing okay?" Damon asks his mother for the hundredth time as Elizabeth sets Isabella onto the ground.

"Damon, I already told you I'm fine."

"You always say that." Damon shakes his head as he looks to Isabella who is fixing her white bow clipped in her hair.

Smirking, Elizabeth doesn't say anything as she rolls her eyes. But, he's right, she did always say that. She said she was fine even when she wasn't. But as much as her body ached from chemo and cancer, nothing hurt her more than seeing her son hurt. And as much as she loves Elena, she did indeed hurt her son. She broke him and he is finally looking okay again. In fact, he looks great. They both caused so much pain for each other once upon a time, but with a love that strong sometimes heartbreak is inevitable.

_Six years ago_

_After Elizabeth's surgery, Damon and Elena waited until she was cleared. Damon told Elena that she didn't have to stay but the girl insisted on it. She is there for him, and honestly, that scares Damon. She cares and he doesn't know what to do with that. Before her, he didn't know what it felt like to get wrapped up into somebody's eyes by just one look. She consumes him._

_His mother's surgery had been successful, though, and now Elena is sitting on Damon's couch, her feet tucked beneath her body. Smirking, Damon views her as he sets his car keys down and approaches her. He lifts her feet and sits beneath them and the motion sends a gentle smile to cross her face._

_"I loved meeting your mom," Elena tells him and he smiles a shy smile and that's when she backs away. Shaking her head, Elena frowns. "I'm sorry, that sounded clingy. I didn't mean-"_

_"Elena," Damon interrupts the embarrassed girl as he touches her thigh. "Shut up," Damon mumbles before sliding his hand up her thigh and across her waist. Her mouth closes as he smiles. "I wouldn't have brought you to meet her if I didn't think this," Damon points between the both of them. "was real,"_

_Elena blinks once and then twice, the girl caught up in his blue eyes as she nods slowly. Climbing on top of the nervous girl, Damon places his hands on each side of her head as he smiles. His eyes drift to her pink lips as he bites her bottom lip with his teeth. Elena's hands then roam his back before Damon takes her hands within his gently. Bringing her hand's above her head, Damon kisses the girl's neck as she presses her body tighter against his larger one that is now all the way on top of hers._

_"Spend the night with me?" Damon mumbles across her neck as he continues to press light kisses on her skin. And without thinking into it, Elena nods. She forgets about Caroline's drama and Bonnie's judgments and her Dad's alcoholic habits. Everyone and everything escapes her mind when she is with him. His kisses ignite her body as he firmly presses their joined hands further into the couch. How can one person change your life so quickly? How did he somehow sneak his way into her heart? But, he did. And today Elena realized that a life without Damon would never be life. His snarky comments, dark hair, electrifying eyes, and '60s car are now embedded into her mind and her soul. Damon Salvatore has sunk his teeth into her and she can't escape, and frankly, she doesn't want to._

Present Day

Damon enters his modern apartment once again as he glances from right to left, and suddenly a wave of nostalgia hits him like a truck. His mind flashes back to his old apartment, the one he had in college. That apartment was their first home as a family. Twenty-one year old Damon thought he had it all under control, boy didn't he know life isn't a fairytale? Damon thought. He remembers it all, every moment, every memory, every detail. But now, Stefan is getting married, Elena is probably moving on, Andie is beginning to replace Elena, in fact, Damon is beginning to replace Elena. Does he want to? Hell no, but how does he get her back after what he said? After what she said? After everything, maybe it is better this way. Damon draws to that conclusion as he views his phone, a message from his mother popping up.

_Mom: Thank-you for coming today, and I know you've been through a lot, Damon. But, no matter what happens to me I want you to be happy, and I know you're a man now and don't need my advice but here it is: you'll find your way back. You're lost right now but you'll get there, I promise._

**Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate all of you who take the time to read this story and am thankful that some really enjoy it. I love writing this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know this story has been a little slow so I am going to pick up the pace next chapter and skip through some time so that we can get closer to the reveal that all of you want to know: her pregnancy and their breakup. Anyway, I hope you liked the introduction of Damon's mother and leave a review **


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